It's over three years since I began to learn English. I am glad that I am getting on well with it.  I find English very interesting, but quite difficult. When I first started, I thought I had only to remember the new words and learn some grammar. I know little about English idioms(習語). I thought each English word had a word with the same meaning in Chinese. When I learned to say "I see a book on the desk", I thought the English word "see" was just like the Chinese word "kan". So one day when my teacher asked me, "What are you doing?" I answered, "I'm seeing a book." "That's wrong," the teacher said. "You don't see a book. You read a book. You can't use an English word like a Chinese one. Be sure not to make the same mistake again." 
After that I began to pay more attention to the differences between Chinese and English. For example, in English we say a "high mountain", but a "tall man". In Chinese we use the same word "gao" for both. Again in English we say "take part in the sports meeting", "attend a meeting" and "join the army", while in Chinese we can use "can jia" for all the three. It's interesting, isn't it? So to study English doesn't only mean hard work, it can be great fun, too! We not only have to pay attention to pronunciation, grammar, spelling and handwriting, we also have to understand English idioms. We can learn English well only in that way!
But all this is only a beginning and I still have a long way to go. I'll try my best and work even harder than before. I must speak and listen to English more both in and out of class. I must read and write more, too. I must learn English well so that I can work well when I grow up. 
【小題1】When I first started learning English, I thought __________.

Americans love cars．They go everywhere in them．8 5％of people in the US go to and from work by car. And most adults have driving licenses．Why does this car culture exist?
How it started
America’s love of cars started after the war(戰(zhàn)爭)when soldiers returned home from World War II to rebuild their lives．They borrowed money from the government to buy houses and cars which became the symbols of status(地位)．The more money they had，the bigger their cars were．
Making of roads
During the war，President Eisenhower noticed what good roads Germany had．He decided to build new four-lane(四車道)roads in America．He said if something happened suddenly，the two-lane roads wouldn’t be able to carry all the cars that would suddenly leave the cities．Car and oil companies liked his idea and building started．
Car lover
Not just teenagers are crazy about cars．Some Americans love their cars so much that they paint their cars beautifully .These are called Art Cars．Every April there is an activity in Houston，Texas，where they show their cars．
Pollution
Cars have polluted the environment．American President Bush refused a worldwide law that is against pollution．Many countries were angry about it．Bush said he had to think of the American economy(經(jīng)濟)and all the American people that make money from cars．Factories say they want to make cars that pollute less．But others say making cars that pollute less will never be as good as having fewer cars．
【小題1】When did Americans begin to love cars?   

Americans love cars．They go everywhere in them．8 5％of people in the US go to and from work by car. And most adults have driving licenses．Why does this car culture exist?

How it started

America’s love of cars started after the war(戰(zhàn)爭)when soldiers returned home from World War II to rebuild their lives．They borrowed money from the government to buy houses and cars which became the symbols of status(地位)．The more money they had，the bigger their cars were．

Making of roads

During the war，President Eisenhower noticed what good roads Germany had．He decided to build new four-lane(四車道)roads in America．He said if something happened suddenly，the two-lane roads wouldn’t be able to carry all the cars that would suddenly leave the cities．Car and oil companies liked his idea and building started．

Car lover

Not just teenagers are crazy about cars．Some Americans love their cars so much that they paint their cars beautifully .These are called Art Cars．Every April there is an activity in Houston，Texas，where they show their cars．

Pollution

Cars have polluted the environment．American President Bush refused a worldwide law that is against pollution．Many countries were angry about it．Bush said he had to think of the American economy(經(jīng)濟)and all the American people that make money from cars．Factories say they want to make cars that pollute less．But others say making cars that pollute less will never be as good as having fewer cars．

1.When did Americans begin to love cars?   

A．Before the new two-lane roads were built．

B．After World War II．

C．During World War II．

D．Before World War II．

2.New four-1ane roads were build _______.

A．in Germany                            B．by car and oil companies

C．in America                            D．when something suddenly happened

3.The underlined word “building” here means “the building of _______”． 

A．companies        B．soldiers’ lives     C．houses           D．roads

4.What were other countries’ feelings about Bush’s decision?  

A．They agreed with him．                  B．They showed anger to it．

C．They paid no attention to it.                D．The passage doesn’t tell us.

5.What does the last sentence  mean? 

A．It’s better to have fewer cars．

B．It’s better to make cars that pollute less．

C．It’s easier to make cars that pollute less．

D．It’s easier to make people have fewer cars．