The United States has always been a country of many cultures. Before Europeans came to North America, many groups of Native Americans lived here. Different Native American groups had different cultures. The first Europeans in the United States were from England and Holland, but immigrants came from all European countries. Many people also immigrated from Asia and Africa. Sadly, many Africans were brought to the United States as slaves. Many immigrants come from Latin America too. Today, the United States has people from more cultures than ever.

    In the 19th century, people spoke of the United States as a “melting pot.” People thought that all immigrates should forget their native cultures and languages and become English-speaking Americans. They felt that people should assimilate-join American culture. However, not everyone wanted to assimilate completely. Many people tried to keep parts of their cultures, such as foods, customs, and languages. However, their children often forgot their parents' or grandparents' language. But most Americans, even those whose families have been here a long time, can tell the countries their relatives came from. And of course, new immigrants take great pride in their curare and language.

    For all of these reasons, melting pot is no longer a good way to describe the United States. Instead, people now call the United States a “salad bowl.” They say salad bowl because in a salad, you can still see all of the individual parts (lettuce, tomato, and so on), but all the different parts mixed together and begin to take on the flavor of one another.

    Inside the pleasingly fragrant café, So All May Eat(SAME) in downtown Denver, the spirit of generosity is instantly noticeable: A donation box stands in place of a cash register. Customers here pay only what they can afford, no questions asked.

    A risky business plan, perhaps, but SAME Café has done one unchangeable thing in the Mile High City for six years: Open only at midday, the restaurant provides poor local people with healthy, delicious lunches six days a week. Those unable to pay for their meals can instead volunteer as waiters and waitresses, and dishwashers, or look after the buildings and equipment for the cafe.

     “It's based on trust, and it's working all right” , says co-owner Brad Birky , who started the café in 2006. With his wife Libby. Previously volunteering at soup kitchens, the Birkys were dissatisfied with the often unhealthy meals they served there.

     “We wanted to offer quality food in a restaurant where everyone felt comfortable ,regardless of their circumstances,” Birky says. SAME's special lunch menu changes daily and most food materials are natural and grown by local farmers.

    The café now averages 65 to 70 customers (and eight volunteers) a day. And the spirit of generosity behind the project appears to be spreading. In early 2007,one volunteer who had cleared snow for his meals during the long winter said goodbye to the Birkys,” He said he was going to New Orleans to help with the hurricane cleanup,” says Birky.

    Oral English, also known as spoken English, is the form of English that is used when people are speaking to one another . Students who are learning English as a second language often feel uncomfortable using oral English because they fear that they will not be understood. It is important that a person who is learning to speak English practice using the language.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Listening is important to learning spoken English.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Pay attention to conversations that happen around you while you are shopping . Watch the news every evening while you have supper .Part of learning spoken English is in understanding how English words are formed . Watch the mouths and tongues of native English speakers carefully.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Notice how the lips form certain sounds. Imitate （ 模仿）what you see .
       Rent movies over the weekend. Try to follow the story line of comedy shows.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Not having to respond in English lets you concentrate on simply understanding what is being said. Understanding how English is used in conversation will help you to better communicate in the language.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}When you are reading, pay more attention to the correct pronunciation of the words you are reading rather than comprehension of each word. Read easy books that were written for children. Reading simple books takes away the frustration of sounding out hard words.

A. Read out loud for twenty to thirty minutes every day .

B. Listen to English radio while getting ready in the morning .

C. Observe how much the mouth is opened to say certain words .

D. Find a friend or teacher who is willing to help you learn English .

E. Repeat the conversations several times to increase your speaking speed .

F. Watching TV shows and movies allows you to hear English used in conversation .

G. The more a person practices his or her skills , the more easily speaking English will become .

Participating (参与) in Class

    Class participation is a valuable part of learning. Many students are unwilling to participate in class{#blank#}1{#/blank#}  Other students participate in class, but do so not correctly. Here is some advice that can help you become an effective class participant.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Do all tasks and readings and go over your notes from previous class periods. This will help to prevent you from making uninformed ( 无知的) comments or asking unsuitable questions. As you get ready for class, think about important questions and concerns that may appear in class. Be sure that you are prepared to deal with these.

    Try to sit close to the front of the class{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Besides, you can hear what the teachers say clearly.

    Listen to what the other students say. You can then build on their comments to make your own. Be active when you respond to something another student says. You can disagree, but don't go into an “attack mode”.

    Don't be afraid to be wrong{#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can learn from being wrong. Don't be afraid to ask questions. This is a good learning skill. Also, the chances are that other students in the class have the same questions as you do, and they will appreciate your asking.

    Be sure that your questions and comments are closely connected with the class topic.

    Don't waste the time of the teacher and other students by going off way. Don't take it in person if others disagree with what you say{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Creating a personal connection helps you feel more comfortable about participating in class.

B. Be confident that your opinions will be valued by your teacher and other students.

C. It's hard to stay unconcerned when you are near to the teacher.

D. Be sure that you are well prepared before coming to class.

E. This may be because they are shy or fearful of being judged and criticized (批评).

F. Your class should be a good place for giving opinions and taking advice.

G. Learning is a change in behavior based on experience.

    If all the food that's thrown away in three American cities could be saved, it would provide 68 million meals for people who don't have enough to eat, according to a recent study.

    The researchers found that, in the cities they surveyed（调查）, more than a kilogram of edible food per person is wasted each week. Edible food is food you can eat. It doesn't include things like apple cores（果核）, egg shells, or bones from meat. Fruits and vegetables were the most common edible foods found in the dustbin, followed by food leftover from meals. Eggs, bread and milk were also commonly thrown out.

    The people taking part in the survey gave several reasons for throwing edible food away. Most said the food went off. Some said they weren't interested in eating leftovers. A few said the food had passed the “Best Before” date printed on the label（标签）. When food is wasted—by families, restaurants or grocery stores—we are also wasting all of the resources that go into producing that food. That means we are wasting water, land, energy and labour, as well as the fuel needed to transport food.

    A lot of food is wasted before it even reaches the grocery store（食品杂货商）. Some food is damaged while it is being transported from the farm to the stores. Fruits and vegetables that don't look attractive enough don't even get put onto the shelves because most people won't buy them. Grocery stores, restaurants and hospitals also waste a large amount of food. The researchers suggest that grocery stores should donate any food that is still okay to eat to homeless shelters, instead of throwing it away. Prepared meals from hospitals or restaurants could also be donated to shelters.

    It's good to have friends that we can talk to and share our thoughts and opinions with.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But recently, it seems that many of us have been developing a new relationship with a mystery person that we'll never meet.

    These people are virtual (虚拟的) assistants. They are pieces of software that we can talk to and they can talk back to us. An example is Apple's Siri. They might be on your phone or computer or even a smart speaker in your home. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Instead of typing on a computer keyboard, we can now speak and a voice will answer. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Tom Hewitson is one of them. He told the BBC, “Now, computers are an active participant in the conversation and in guiding you to make the right decision.” So he's saying this cutting-edge(尖端的) technology has the ability to think for itself and make its own decisions. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Will it stop us using our own brains and will we lose the ability to write things down or type? They are certainly clever, helping you to book train tickets, give you the latest weather news or even tell you a joke.

    One thing we can't do yet is to make chit-chat (闲聊) or small talk with it. We have to change the way we speak. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} This year Google produced a new product, described by the company as artificial intelligence “for accomplishing real-world tasks over the phone”. It's a type of chatbot(聊天机器人) that will allow you to, for example, chat to your hairdresser about when they can fit you in for a cut. Other companies are working on similar things. But before they perfect this new technology, don't forget who your real friends are.

A. The people behind these voices are called conversation designers.

B. They are different from how we speak to other people.

C. But there's no doubt that this technology will soon become common in our lives.

D. More importantly, they're people we can ask for help or advice.

E. They are changing the way we interact with technology.

F. It is a scary thought that this virtual voice can think for you.

G. They are cleverer than our real friends.