On Monday, May 12, 2008 a violent earthquake, measuring 8. 0 on the Richter scale, happened in southwestern China's Sichuan Province. Hundreds of aftershocks followed in the area The earthquake destroyed thousands buildings, roads, schools and hospitals, as well as infrastructure like communication networks and electrical towers. Thousands of people died or are missing, and more than 45 million people were affected by the earthquake, which has been the worst natural disaster to hit China for 30 years.

The American Red Cross has contributed $20 million to support the relief and recovery efforts of the Red Cross Society of China. These funds will be used to assist survivors through the purchase and distribution of relief supplies, coordination of logistics and transportation of disaster workers to the hardest hit areas. The American Red Cross has also sent relief experts to the affected area to help monitor and coordinate the response efforts. On June 6, the American Red Cross co-hosted a forum to address the U. S. response and recovery efforts following the earthquake. More than 30 representatives from humanitarian organizations, the business companies and the government participated in the event.

More than 35,000 staff and volunteers with the Red Cross Society of China responded to the disaster by distributing food, water, tents and other essential items. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are providing 100,000 tents to help those in need.

The Red Cross Society of China is a very strong organization with extensive experience responding to disasters. The American Red Cross has long history of working with the Red Cross Society of China, going to back to famines in 1906 and including severe storms earlier this year. There has been a close contact between the Red Cross Society of China and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, arid they have been ready to provide additional support such as disaster workers, relief supplies or financial assistance.

Concerned family and friends in the United States may have difficulty contacting their loved ones because telecommunication has been out of work by this disaster. If they are trying to reach relatives living in China or those who are citizens of China, the American Red Cross suggests them keep calling or try contacting other family members who live nearby.

The earthquake on May 12, 2008 in China _______.

In cross-cultural marriage, _______ may happen

Traditions, saying, beliefs, language, and values are just a few things that make up our culture. Culture is the framework in which families are structured. Itshapes our expectations and ideals. Culture plays a part in the meaning of marriage and our roles as husbands, wives, children and parents. Understanding cultural differences and similarities related to marriage is important. Culture affects the roles that spouses take within marriages, the age at marriage and number of children a couple have, the meaning of divorce, cohabitation and non-marital childbearing, and the way parents raise children. Understanding how relationships and marriages vary across cultural contexts, and how they are similar, we will be able to identify the unique ways that marriages and family life affect people of various cultures. As a result, we will be able to help families and sustain happy marriages. A cross cultural marriage or similar love relationship can be extremely exciting. The cultural background, visits to the other country, the language of the country and learning to speak it, the different habits and ways of doing and saying things that people from other cultures have, are all very exciting indeed. What of the disadvantages of a cross cultural marriage or love relationship with someone from another country or cultural background? No matter how much you love your husband or wife, no matter how high your level of cross cultural awareness, cross cultural communication and respect for differences. Misunderstanding seems to be unavoidable.

The passage is about _________.

According to the passage, which of the following is not affected by culture?

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.

The excitement of snorkelling in a clear tropical sea is hard to explain to someone who hasn't done it. If you expect to have the opportunity of trying it when on holiday, it is well worth bringing a snorkel if you can get hold of one. Experts now recommend a separate breathing tube.

Many swimmers take a deep breath before diving with a snorkel. This is a mistake, because it makes the body so light that you dive with difficulty. It is best to take a couple of deep breaths and then a normal relaxed breath in order to breathe in enough for dive. Don't take repeated deep breaths before diving because this can lead to shortage of oxygen, which causes unconsciousness without warning.

The backs of many snorkellers get badly burnt, for the snorkellers are so involved in the world below they forget about the dangers of sunburn. The sea does not protect your back from the rays of the sun, and it is best to wear a T-shirt. Snorkellers should also consider wearing shoes (or slippers), which may protect their feet from cuts from sharp rocks which can easily become infected.

What does the writer find difficult about snorkelling?

Communication in general is process of sending and receiving messages that enables humans to share knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Although we usually identify communication with speech, communication is composed of two dimensions - verbal and nonverbal. Nonverbal communication has been defined as communication without words. It includes apparent behaviors such as facial expressions, eyes, touching, tone of voice, as well as less obvious messages such as dress, posture and spatial distance between two or more people. Activity or inactivity, words or silence all have message value: they influence others and these others, in turn, respond to these communications and thus they are communicating. Commonly, nonverbal communication is learned shortly after birth and practiced and refined throughout a person's lifetime. Children first learn nonverbal expressions by watching and imitating, much as they learn verbal skills. Young children know far more than they can verbalize and are generally more adept at readingnonverbal cues than adults are because of their limited verbal skills and their recent reliance on the nonverbal to communicate. As children develop verbal skills, nonverbal channels of communication do not cease to exist although become entwined in the total communication process.

According to the writer, ________.  

The 22nd SEA Games, hosted this year by Vietnam, has joined the international movement to rid sports of tobacco. For the first time, the regional sporting event will be tobacco-free under a landmark cooperative agreement signed in April 2003 between the World Health Organization (WHO), the 22nd SEA Games Organizing Committee and the Vietnamese Ministry of Health. Hanoi Health Department has organized a press seminar to celebrate and raise awareness about the tobacco-free SEA Games.

The 22nd SEA Games is the first games hosted by Vietnam and 10 countries from the Southeast Asian region with nearly 8,000 athletes and coaches will participate. It will be the first tobacco-free international sporting event in Vietnam, joining other international tobacco-free sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup 2002, and the Winter Olympic Games 2002.

The 22nd SEA Games will ban all sales, advertising and other promotion of tobacco products, and restricts smoking in all Games venues. The aim is to protect spectators, athletes, event staff, media and other visitors from the serious health hazards of second-hand tobacco smoke, as well as to change public attitudes about the social acceptability of smoking. Madame Pascale Brudon, WHO Representative in Vietnam, stated, "Vietnam has established 3 years ago a comprehensive, ambitious national tobacco control policy and a national tobacco control program. The tobacco-free 22nd SEA Games will be yet another area where Vietnam is leading the way for other countries in the region and the world in protecting its citizens from the debilitating and disastrous consequences of tobacco use."

WHO has provided funding and technical assistance to the SEA Games Organizing Committee and Vietnamese Ministry of Health to train of over 4,000 SEA Games organizers and volunteers on the implementation of the tobacco-free policy. An international team of trainers from the Ministry of Health, International Organization for Good Temper (lOGT), WHO and International Development Enterprises (IDE) began a series of national training workshops for volunteers in April, 2003. The tobacco-free SEA Games are an inspiration and a model for other sport events, big and small, not only in Vietnam but also in the Southeast Asian and Western Pacific Region.

In the 22^ndSEA Games _______.