The size and shape of your ears show your character more than any other parts of the face. Other parts of the face change shape as we get older, but ears do not change their shape. They only change in size.

    Reading people’s character from their ears is an old science. In very old times people thought that a person with big ears had a good and generous character. They thought that a person with pale (nearly white), small ears was dangerous. They also thought that the shape of the ear showed whether a person was musical or not. Today, too, many people believe that the size and the shape of the ear help you know if a person is musical.

    Ears are all different, and each characteristic has a meaning. Next time when you look at a person, see if his ears are large or small. Look at the lobes( the lowest part of the ear). Are they attached(連著) to the face? Ears that are always red mean a person may easily get angry, or he/she just has high blood pressure(高血壓). Ears that are always cold and pale mean a person has a nervous character. And a big inside hole of the ear means a person is musical.

1 In the old times people might ask for help from a person with____________.

A. red ears              B. big ears            C. small ears            D. pale ears

2 The passage is mainly about ___________.

A. the size of our ears                          B. musical ears

C. ears which related to characters         D. our faces and ears

3 From the passage, we know ___________ change shape as we get older.

         A. ears           B. hair              C. eyes            D. teeth

4We can guess Beethoven may have __________________.                          A. pale ears       B. white ears  C. small ears       D. ears with a big inside hole

5 If you are often late for school, you may find the ears of your teacher _________.

    A. get bigger           B. get smaller       C. get colder            D. get redder

How to talk to a foreigner? Students often want to practice their English outside class．One of the best ways to practice your English is to speak to a foreigner．This week's question comes from a student who is eager to start a conversation with the foreigners he sees every day．He asks, “Is it okay to talk to foreigners I see in the street? The answer is yes and no, but probably no．If you see a foreigner who looks lost，it is polite to ask him�！盡ay I help you? But，otherwise（除此之外），you should probably let him get on with his business．Situations，however, do exist where it is quite all right to talk to foreigners．If a foreigner enters year school，classroom，office，shop or restaurant，for instance，feel free to ask them  （for example）：

--May I know your name，please?

--Where do you come from?

--What do you think of Beijing?

--How long will you stay in Beijing?

There are also situations where it's okay to talk to foreigners in public places．If you see a foreigner alone in a restaurant，bar or care, it may be appropriate（恰當(dāng)?shù)模﹖o ask him or her：

--Is this seat free?

--Do you mind if I talk to you in English?

--You pan probably help them if they are new to China and if they are alone，you may be able to make them feel more welcome．After a few such questions, you should know whether this person wants to talk to you or not．If they ask you similar questions, or if they give long, informative（提供有用信息的）answers, you're in luck．If not，then give them their privacy（獨(dú)處）．Talking to strangers is fun if you choose the right time and place．

1、One way to practice your spoken English is to try to talk with         ．

A、your friends           B、foreigners              C、your classmates      D、your teacher

2、When you first meet a foreigner，you should probably say         ．

A、Where are you going?                              B、Have you eaten your dinner?

C、Can you help me with my English?               D、How do you do?

3、The writer suggests that we should         ．

A、follow foreigners when we meet them in the street

B、talk with a foreigner at a good time

C、have a meal with foreigners in a restaurant

D、move to a place where a foreigner lives