Every country has its own popular sports. The most popular sport in the USA is baseball. Soccer is popular, too. People in the USA also like American football. A football in America is not round. It is oval-shaped. Baseball is more popular than soccer or American football. Almost everyone in the USA loves baseball. It is the favorite sport of the nation.

People in Mexico like baseball too, but soccer is more popular there. Soccer is also very popular in other countries. It's the most popular sport in the world. Soccer fans say soccer is faster and more exciting than baseball.

    One day, an American man Simon went to London to visit his friend, Rick. Rick told him that his flat(公寓) was on the first floor. When he arrived, Simon went straight to the first floor of the building. But a man told him that there was no Rick on that floor. Do you know why?

    In fact, the British (英国人) call the first floor of a building the ground floor. The floor above the ground floor is the first floor, but Americans would call it the second floor.

    The story shows that there are a few culture differences between Britain and America, though the British and Americans both speak English.

    The British don't like showing their feelings. They hardly start a small talk with strangers. For example, on the train the British often spend their time reading newspapers or books. But Americans are quite different. They're more active and easier to talk with.

    The British and Americans may use different terms for the same things. The British usually use "football" "holiday" and "lift", but Americans like to use "soccer" "vacation" and "elevator".

根据短文理解，选择正确答案。

    A Christmas Carol was written by Charles Dickens. The first 6,000 copies of the book were sold out in a week. And the book has inspired many plays and movies. The first play was put on in 1844. The first two movies were silent films made in 1901 and 1908. Since then, the story has been remade more than 60 times for television and cinema. What makes such a tale so attractive? Audiences have always loved a good plot, a villain(反面人物) who harms other people or breaks the law, and the ending of right over wrong. The book offers all three.

    The book tells the story of a man named Ebenezer Scrooge. He is mean and cruel to his clerk and turns away（避免）his only living relative. One night, Scrooge is visited by three spirits（幽灵）. The first shows scenes from Scrooge's youth that led to this present state. The second takes him to the homes of his clerk and his nephew. Here Scrooge sees that people can be happy without lots of money. The spirit also shows him the desperate(绝望的） poor people of London. The third spirit shows Scrooge will die alone, and no one will care if he continues to live as he has. At last the message is understood, and Scrooge repents. He becomes generous and caring to all around him, especially to his clerk's sick son, Tiny Tim.

    Every year, thousands of people watch A Christmas Carol. Why? They may be touched by its lessons on the true meanings of wealth and happiness. They may enjoy the special effects and feelings or watching every year may be just a habit. Viewers never seem to grow tired of the old miser(守财奴), Scrooge, and his dramatic message of hope and change.

    Our culture is the system we use to build our identity. All living creatures are part of a culture. Even animals have a culture! So what is culture? It's the way we behave in a group. It begins with each individual family. Within our families we do things to build relationships with each other. This can include routines for doing things. It also includes traditions. Traditions are activities that are repeated on a regular basis.

    Culture is not limited to individual family groups. The real strength of culture is in larger community （社会）groups. These larger groups are called societies. Every society makes rules for itself. It decides how people should act in different situations. Some of these rules are written down. Some are just things that are automatically expected of all members of that society. Often, cultures can be identified（识别）by what the people believe. Cultures are also known by what they choose to include in their art. Sometimes a society forms around people who speak the same language. Cultures may also be known for their customs, including the foods they make and the things they do.

    Our cultures help us understand who we are and what we believe. There are very strong emotions（情感）connecting us to our own society. Two different cultures may disagree on something, especially if they both feel strongly about it. When that happens, war is a common result. People are learning better ways to communicate with each other. The more we learn, the more we appreciate the differences in cultures.

    Karan Singh is just like any other five-year-old- except for the fact that he is 5 feet 7 inches tall! When he was born, he was 15 pounds- the usual1of a newborn baby is about half of this, and he was four inches taller than the usual baby.2his height and weight at birth, his father Sanjay thought there might be something wrong with him, but doctors found he was3and really fine.

    Before he could walk or talk, Karan was made into The Guinness Book of World Records in 2008 as the tallest and heaviest newborn baby. Karan clearly4his mother, Shweatlana, who is 7 feet 3 inches tall and one of the5women in South Asia! Sanjay is also quite tall at 6 feet 7 inches.

    Being so tall isn't always a great thing for Karan and his6. Karan used to get bullied about his height, but he doesn't anymore. "But they all say that I am cheating when we7 basketball," Karan said.

    Shweatlana also had trouble finding diapers that fit him when he was8and still has trouble finding children's clothes for him sometimes. "Now I just buy him adult size9. They fit him perfectly well," she said.

    She is also10about her health and that her son might have the same condition she has. "I used to get about 1.5 inches of height every year because of too much growth hormone. I sometimes feel afraid that my son has the same disease as I have. But I know he is doing well and he will grow up to be a nice and healthy person."