When strangers touch (P4)
I. Pre-reading
Discuss the following questions with your partner.
 How do you usually greet a stranger?
With a handshake, a hug, a wave, a nod, etc.

II. Reading
Read the article and answer the following questions.
1. What does the passage mainly talk about?
It talks about the way people greet strangers.

2. What is the most appropriate way to greet a stranger according to the article?
Shaking his or her hand.

3. What has the study found?
  The study has found that most people don’t like to be touched by a stranger anywhere but on the hands.

4. What do the two examples in Paragraph 2 show us?
  They show that although greeting new friends with a kiss on one or both cheeks is becoming increasingly popular, in real life, people still don’t feel comfortable getting so close to strangers.

5. Why is a handshake the best way to greet strangers, according to the article?
  Because a handshake is never considered rude, and it carries little danger of making anybody feel uncomfortable.

Choose the best answer:
1. Which of the following is mentioned as one of the “unexpected results” in Paragraph 4?
A. Britons are not as passionate as Italians.
B. Italians greet strangers by kissing them on both cheeks.
C. The Finns prefer handshakes to hugging.
D. The Finns like hugging more than other Europeans do.

2. What decides where we can be touched when being greeted?
A. Where we meet.
B. How close we are.
C. Our culture’s characteristics.
D. What mood we are in at that moment.

3. What does Lucy Hume suggest we do when greeting a stranger?
A. Hug them.
B. Nod to them.
C. Shake their hand.
D. Kiss them on both cheeks.

Key:
1. D。根据Meanwhile, the Finns, known for keeping to themselves, like hugging the most of anyone in Europe可以得此答案。Keep to oneself的意思是“保守，不与他人来往”。
2. B。根据Indeed, it is the closeness of the relationship that decides where we can be touched. “We understand touch depending on the relationship,”... “We may find a touch in a certain place from a relative or friend comforting, while the same touch from a stranger would not be welcome at all.”可以得此答案。
3. C。根据最后一段可以得此答案。

III. Language study
Word bank:
dilemma    n. 进退两难的局面
offend    v. 冒犯
passionate  adj. 有激情的
stiff     adj. 僵硬的；呆板的
etiquette    n. 礼仪
psychologist   n. 心理学家
appropriate    adj.合适的

Study the following sentences:
1. Only if you are a friend will Italians greet you by kissing you on both cheeks.
only if此处意为“只有”，置于句首的话句子要用部分倒装结构。例如：
Only if you work hard can you achieve success.
Only if you listen to others will you have a good chance of being successful.
If only表示“要是……就好了”，句子要用虚拟语气。例如：
If only he had taken my advice. (暗含他当时没有听我的建议。)

2. Indeed, it is the closeness of the relationship that decides where we can be touched.
这个句子用了强调句型，it is +被强调的部分+that/who+句子其他成分。例如：
It is his hard work that has earned him respect.
正是因为他的努力才赢得了别人对他的尊重。

3. We may find a touch in a certain place from a relative or friend comforting, while the same touch from a stranger would not be welcome at all.
句中“find a touch … comforting”为find+宾语+形容词作宾补的用法；while用作连词，表示并列，意思是“然而”。

Music to eat dishes to (P5)
I. Pre-reading
Discuss the following questions with your partner.
 Do you think that background music has any effect on the food you eat?
 Do you like to listen to background music while you’re having dinner?
 If so, what kind of music do you choose to go with your food?

II. Reading
Read the article and choose the best answer for each of the following questions.
1. What did Spence discover from his studies?
A. Some music genres can help people improve their emotions.
B. Food could taste different depending on changes in background music.
C. People from different regions enjoy different kinds of background music when eating.
D. There is a link between people’s taste in music and their preference for certain food.

2. What kind of music is likely to spoil people’s appetites according to the article?
A. Operatic music.
B. Indie rock music.
C. Jazz music.
D. Dance and hip-hop music.

3. According to Spence’s study, jazz music was found to go best with ____.
A. Chinese food
B. Indian food
C. Thai food
D. Italian food

4. What kind of sounds are an ideal match for spicy flavors according to the article?
A. High-pitched sounds.
B. Deep tones.
C. Fast and exciting music.
D. Slow and soft music.

Key:
1. B。由第二段的“Professor Charles Spence, an experimental psychologist who studies the future of food and eating at Oxford University, UK, has found that some music genres (流派) can bring out specific flavors (口味) from a certain dish.”以及第三段的“The results showed that the volunteers said their food was tastier when it was paired with certain kinds of music.”可以推知B为正确答案。
2. D。由第五段的“On the other hand, dance and hip-hop music had no effect, or even a negative effect, on how the subjects tasted their food. For example, Justin Bieber’s Baby had a negative effect on the enjoyment of pretty much every dish.”可知D为正确答案。
3. C。由第五段的“while jazz turned out to be the ideal match for sushi (寿司) and Thai food”可知C为正确答案。
4. C。由第六段的“And spiciness is brought out by fast, exciting music.”可知C为正确答案。

III. Language study
Useful expressions:
某物的理想搭配  the perfect/ideal match for sth
使……与……配成对  pair sth with sth
跟……相配很好    go/work well with sth
对……有负面影响  had a negative effect on sth

Study the following sentences.
1. On the other hand, dance and hip-hop music had no effect, or even a negative effect, on how the subjects tasted their food.
本句中表示“(调查的)对象”，or even a negative effect与前面的had no effect是一种递进关系，其省略了had，如果补全的话为：or even had a negative effect。

2. Most of us believe that we experience food mostly through our senses of taste, smell and vision, but a growing body of research now shows that the music playing in the background can also have an influence.
这是由but连接的并列句，其中两个that都引导宾语从句。body of research表示“研究机构”。

Best Christmas present (P6)
I. Pre-reading
Discuss the following questions with your partner.
 Christmas is just around the corner. How are you going to celebrate it?
 What is the most impressive Christmas present you ever given someone or received?
 What do you think is the spirit of Christmas?

II. Reading
Read the article and choose the best answer for each of the following questions.
1. From the first paragraph, we can learn that ____.
A. money was tight for the author’s family
B. the author’s mom intended to buy some food for Christmas with the check
C. the inspector came to the author’s house to offer his help to the author’s family
D. the Christmas fund could cover Christmas expenses as well as the rent

2. The author did a lot of jobs because ____.
A. he planned to give his family a big surprise for Christmas
B. he wanted to try his best to help his mom pay back the rent
C. his mother told him to do some part-time jobs
D. he intended to use the money earned to buy something for himself

3. Which of the following best shows the changes in the author’s feelings on the afternoon of Christmas Eve?
A. Excited — Confused — Guilty — Excited
B. Upset — Confused — Excited — Guilty
C. Excited — Guilty — Confused — Excited
D. Upset — Excited — Guilty — Confused

4. It can be inferred from the article that ____.
A. the author’s mom had already found out about his Christmas plan when he brought home the food
B. the author felt disappointed because he didn’t buy the boots
C. the author had a moment of mental conflict about how to spend his hard-earned money
D. the author’s mom explained to the family in tears why there would be no presents for Christmas

5. Which of the following words best describe the author?
A. Naughty and humorous.
B. Silent and dependent.
C. Proud and selfish.
D. Hardworking and considerate.

Key:
1. A。本题考查对首段的理解，不难看出作者家庭经济状况不好。根据…searched it from top to bottom to be sure we didn't have any food hidden away. When he didn't find any, he gave the check to Mom. 可知Inspector是来确认作者的家庭状况的真实性，而非来专程帮忙，排除C项。B、D项与文中不符。
2. D。本题为细节题，由第二段I had been selling Christmas trees, shoveling snow and doing other jobs to earn enough money to buy a new pair of boots可知。
3. A。本题为推理判断题，体会作者的心理和情感的变化，从起初拿到钱准备买鞋，到途中看见节日的气氛产生联想感到纠结、愧疚，到最后为家人买了圣诞物品而兴奋。
4. C。本题为推断题，从文章三、四段的描述不难看出作者的心路历程，尤其是第四段I arrived at the bus stop and stood there for what seemed an eternity, until I decided what I had to do.可推知作者经过了一番思想斗争。
5. D。本题考查对作者的评价，最合适的是D项勤劳且为他人着想。

III. Language study
Translate the following sentences with the given words or phrases.
1. 我想起来了他也许对我们讨论过的那个问题感兴趣。(occur to)
It occurred to me that he might be interested in the problem we had discussed.

2. 你用不着为发生的事而內疚。(guilt)
You shouldn’t feel any guilt over what happened.

3. 考试结束后她的款待让我们感到非常高兴。(treat)
The treat she gave us after we’d finished our exams made us very happy.

4. 她再也忍不住了, 大声哭泣起来。(hold back)
She couldn’t hold back her tears any longer and wept aloud.

5. 你把玩具玩儿完了以后放进柜子里去。(put away)
Put your toys away in the cupboard when you’ve finished playing with them.

Study the following sentences.
1. I arrived at the bus stop and stood there for what seemed an eternity (永恒) until I decided what I had to do.
释义：我到了车站，在那站了像是一辈子那么久，终于做出了决定。
分析：Eternity意思是“永恒”，在句中是夸张的用法，表现作者为了做出最终的决定内心挣扎了很久。

2. Seeing Mother’s prayers (祈祷) answered more than made up for the boots I never got.
释义：看到母亲的祈祷成真，我比得到那双靴子还要高兴得多。
分析：Answer的本意是“回答”，在这里指祈祷“得到回应，应验”。More than在此处指“不仅仅”。短语make up for意思是“弥补”。