Inside there is usually a simple greeting, such as "Happy Birthday" or "Many Happy Returns of the Day."

In the US, children who have their birthdays during the school year take

a cake to school and have a small party with their classmates. In Britain,

children sometimes get Bumped (lifted off the ground horizontally and put

down again sharply) by their friends, the same number of times as their age.

In the US, the 16th birthday is called sweet 16. It is the age at which a

person can get a US driver's license, and some wealthier parents give their

children a car as a present. At 18, in Britain and in the US, young people

become adults and many have a big party. In most parts of the US, 21 is the

age at which people can drink alcohol legally.

In Britain, people celebrate 21st birthday less. Many adults dislike

getting older and a few lie about their age. But jin general older people are

now much more willing to tell others their age. You may see a sign by the

side of a road saying: "Dave Ellis 40 today!", put there by Dave's friends. At

about 65, people retire, and those who have reached this age are called

senior citizens. Few people live to be 100, so a 100th birthday is very special.

In Britain, people reaching this age may receive card containing a printed

message from the Queen.

8. What's the main characteristic of children's birthday cards?

A. They are full of pictures of scenery.

B. There are some flowers on them.

C. There is a large number on them.

D. They have greetings written on them.

9. In the last paragraph, the example "Dave Ellis 40 today" shows ______.

A. The 40th birthday is very special

B. Many adults like lying about their age

C. Dave's friends like playing jokes on him

D. Older people don' t mind telling others their age now

10. If a person reaches 65, he can ______.

A. be called a senior citizen B. refuse to talk about his age

C. receive a card from the queen D. be invited to dinner with the Queen

　　 D

Books which give instructions on how to do things are very popular in the United States today. Thousands of these "how to" books are printed; in fact, there are about four thousand books with titles that begin with the words "how to". One book may tell you how to get money, another may tell you how to put it away or spend it; and another may explain how to give your money away.

Many "how to" books give you advice on jobs. They tell you how to choose a job and how to succeed in (在......方面成功) it. If you fail (失败), however, you can buy a book called "how to make money". If you never make any money at all, you may need a book whose name is "how to live on nothing."

Why many of these books become so popular? Probably because life has become so complex (复杂). Today people have far more free time to use, more choices to make, and more problems to solve. "How to" books help people live a better life.