GoinghomeforChristmasisatradit-优题课

Misunderstanding means East-West cultural clash. A failure to understand different customs lead to misunderstanding.
A common example of this clash occurs in China when Westerners complain that the Chinese are noisy and impolite, and feel uneasy with the questions: "Where are you from?" "Where do you work?" "How much do you earn?" "Are you married?" One Westerner has described this question and answer process as a "Laowai (foreigner) Litany." It's not surprising that foreigners in China who are not familiar with Chinese culture would be shocked by the questions and might feel that Chinese were meddling in their affairs.
Why do Chinese and Westerners have opposite behaviour in public and in society? Cultural differences partly explain this. Chinese culture is founded on collectivism. Instead of considering themselves individuals, Chinese are, above all, members of a community. They identify more with employees of the company, citizens of the country, husbands or wives, or fathers. They are used to thinking of groups. With this community spirit, it's not uncommon to approach others with questions. So, "Where are you from?" could mean "I'm interested in you and ready to be your friend;" "How much money do you earn?" could mean "If you don't earn enough to feed yourself, I'm happy to invite you to share my rice porridge;" and "Are you married?" could mean "If you're still single, I'll help you find a girlfriend."
For Chinese, asking a stranger questions is a normal way to show sympathy and to invite someone to have a friendly conversation. Chinese on a 10-hour train ride would be considered impolite or even arrogant if they refused to ask or answer questions. That is why a Chinese train ride is always happy and animated for Chinese, but can be noisy for a European.
Western culture is based on individualism. A Westerner sees himself or herself both as an individual and member of a community. Thus any insistence on communicating through questions might be considered annoying. In Europe, a person on a 10-hour train ride, will be considered polite if he or she wants to keep silent for the whole journey. This is also why train rides in Europe are agreeably quiet for Europeans, but possible painful for Chinese.
There seems to be fundamentally nothing wrong with being interested in strangers, depending on the circumstances, but either asking questions or not asking questions could prove indelicate. Whoever you are, be relaxed and polite no matter whether you get intrusive questions or a perfunctory hello.
66. Which is wrong about the above four questions in paragraph 2 ?
The Chinese use them to show their sympathy.
The Westerners will be shocked at these questions
They are often asked to open a conversation by Chinese people.
They imply the spirit of individualism.
67. According to the passage, all the following shows the culture differences between we Chinese and the Westerns except_________________.
the Chinese consider themselves to be members of a community while the Westerns don’t
western culture is founded on individualism
your questions will annoy a Westerner if he/she doesn’t want to communicate
train journey in Western countries are often quiet but noisy in China
68. On a ten-hour train ride___________________________.
the Chinese will probably talk with strangers happily
the Westerners are certain to talk with strangers
it is impolite for both the Chinese and the Westerners to keep silent
it is often painful for the Westerners to be in silence
69. The underlined word “animated”(in paragraph 4) possibly means_______________.
A. causing shameful feelings B. filled with noise
C. full of life and spirit D. important and agreeable
70. The main idea of the passage is probably_____________________.
A.we shouldn’t ask the Westerners the four questions
B.culture differences may lead to misunderstanding
C.it’s wrong to be interested in strangers
D.asking a stranger questions is a normal way to show sympathy

How to lay money in a bank
INSTANT SAVINGS ACCOUNT
Open your account with $1 or more
Attractive returns, paid once a month or every year--- the choice is yours
Instant access(存取) to your savings.
30-DAY SAVINGS ACCOUNT
open your account with $5,000 or more
Higher returns, paid once a month or every year---the choice is yours.
Your savings are available at 30 days’ notice, or earlier for a penalty(罚款)
Of 30 days’ interest on the amount withdrawn(取款).
INVESTMENT ACCOUNT
Open your account with $10,000 or more
Higher returns on larger amounts, paid once a month or every year---the choice is yours.
Your savings are available at 90 days’ interest on the amount withdrawn.
HIGH INTEREST CHEQUE ACCOUNT
Open your account with $500 or more
Good returns paid once a month
Your savings are immediately available without notice or penalty
Current account benefits---including Cashpoint
And cheque book access
61 .You may open your INSTANT SAVINGS ACCOUNT with at least____
A. $500 B. $1 C. $100 D. $50
62.How much is the least opening deposit(存款) for 30 DAY SAVINGS ACCOUNT?
A. $10,000 B. $500 C. $5,000 D. $4,000
63.Which kind of account has high returns on large amount?
A. HIGH INTEREST CHEQUE ACCOUNT B. INVESTMENT ACCOUNT
C. INSTANT SAVINGS ACCOUNT D. 30-DAY SAVINGS ACCOUNT
64.Which of the following pairs of accounts allows you to withdraw your money saving notice to the bank in advance?
A. INSTANT SAVINGS ACCOUNT AND 30-DAY SAVINGS ACCOUNT
B. INVESTMENT ACCOUNT AND HIGH INTEREST CHEQUE ACCOUNT
C. 30-DAY SAVINGS ACCOUNT AND INVESTMENT ACCOUNT
D. INSTANT SAVINGS ACCOUNT AND HIGH INTEREST CHEQUE ACCOUNT
65.Which kind of account will make you lose 90 days’ interest if you withdraw your money in advance?
A. INVESTMENT ACCOUNT B. INSTANT SAVING ACCOUNT
C. HIGH INTEREST CHEQUE ACCOUNT D. 30-DAY SAVINGS ACCOUNT

第三部分：阅读理解（共2节，满分35分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑（共15小题，每小题2分,满分30分）.
ARGENTINA’S new government faced public anger over its recent decision to greatly reduce the dollar value of its citizens’ bank savings. More than two-thirds of Argentine bank savings were in US dollars. The country’s recession (衰退)，which is in its fourth year, has left a third of Argentine’s 36 million people in poverty.
A few angry people took the streets on January 21, beating pots and pans in protest. And a group of unemployed Argentines demanding jobs blocked a major highway into Argentina’s capital city, Buenos Aires.
Argentines fear they could lose up to half the dollar value of their savings. Some on the street said the country’s fifth president in the past month has already failed them.
After three weeks in power, President Eduardo Duhalde has broken his first and biggest promise. He said he would return people’s savings in the currency in which were deposited(开户). Duhalde aims to make exports more competitive. But this is expected to have a serious effect on ordinary families, for the simple reason that in Argentine, 80 percent of loans and mortgages(抵押) are in dollars. The government froze all the bank savings made in dollars, worth US$45 billion in total to stop a run on banks. This cause huge street protest earlier this month and contributed to the downfall of two governments. “Most of my life savings were just taken away from me, “ said Jose, a 38-year-old citizen. “I was going to move to Italy but now I can’t because my money is trapped here. Argentina is like a prison.”
The government loosened the new banking rules a little bit on January 17. However, people still don’t have free access to their bank account. They are only allowed to take out rapidly devaluing pesos, even though their savings are in US dollars.
The banking controls will remain in place for about three months, with a few exceptions for the elderly or people with sever illnesses who need crash.
56. How many people have been left in poverty because of Argentina’s economic recession?
A. all Argentines people B. 24 million people
C. 12 million people D. 36 million people
57. What cause Argentines to protest in the streets earlier this month?
Argentina’s economic recession.
Argentina’s new government made its people angry.
Argentina’s government froze all the bank savings made in US dollars.
Two of Argentina’s governments failed to make exports more competitive.
58. What does the sentence… my money is trapped here” mean_____?
My bank savings have been frozen by the government.
I don’t want to take my money away.
I don’t have any money in the bank.
My money has been taken by the Italian government.
59. According to the article, which of the following sentences is correct?
people can get their money from the bank freely.
People are only allowed to get US dollars from the bank.
The government will only allow people to get pesos from the bank.
The banking controls will loosen a little in three months’ time.
60. Argentines cannot get US dollars from the bank unless they are_____.
A. ordinary people B. rich or government officials
C. poor people D. old or seriously ill

Shelly Nielsen sees students fall asleep in class at least twice a week. “When I see teens asleep in my class, I wonder if I am really that boring”, said Nielsen, a teacher. “I also wonder why they are so tired.” Neilson first tried to wake up sleeping students quietly. If the snoozing (呼噜声) continues, she may call a student’s parents to find out how much sleep the students is getting at night and why.
According to a research, teens need at least nine hours of sleep to function properly during the day. And more than 90 percent of teens say they are sleeping less than that each night.
Forgetting homework, yawning in class, losing concentration --- these are the signs of a sleep-deprived (被剥夺睡眠的)student, said Dr. Carl Lawyer, a specialist. “The big problem is the social demand for homework, video games and friends. Teens don’t understand how important sleep is.”
Rebecca Lucas, another teacher agrees. “Teens are busy,” she said, noting many activities most teens are involved in during the day force them to get home pretty late.” When I see teens sleeping in my class, I feel sad, like they are not sleeping enough,” she said. “I also feel frustrated because I have so much to teach in such a short amount of time and teens sleeping in the class slows me down.”
Not sleeping the needed number of hours can affect your day very much. The effect is on school, work and driving and is very frustrating to teachers when students don’t do their best because of being so tired, Lawyer said.
Al Taylor, a teacher says sleeping is not allowed in his class. “When I see a teen sleeping in my class, I feel bad that they didn’t get enough sleep but they need to correct the issue at home,” Taylor said. “I’ve raised teenage boys myself. Teenagers like to wait to the last minute to do their homework so they often stay up late trying to finish it.”
72. What does Shelly first do when she finds students sleeping in class?
A. She wakes them up with no punishment.
B. She blames herself for giving a boring lesson.
C. She asks them to stand outside.
D. She reports it to their parents.
73. Students always feel tired and sleep in class because they __________.
A. have to stay up late to do their homework.
B. are attracted by many activities.
C. are not interested in the lessons
D. are too busy to have enough sleep
74. From the last paragraph, we can infer that Al Taylor __________.
A. can easily lose his temper
B. was a father of teenage boys
C. has no sympathy for sleeping students
D. finds a good way of giving teens more sleep
75. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Why sleep is important
B. Why teens are so tired
C. How students get enough sleep
D. How teachers manage sleeping students

Everyone knows the story of Benjamin Franklin’s famous kite flight. He was a man of many talents and interests. His natural curiosity about things and the way they work made him try to find ways to make them work better. Although he made important discoveries and advancements, Ben didn’t “invent” electricity. He did, however, invent the lightning rod which protected buildings and ships from lightning damage.
In colonial America, most people warmed their homes by building a fire in a fireplace even though it was kind of dangerous and used a lot of wood. Ben figured that there had to be a better way. His invention of an iron furnace stove allowed people to warm their home less dangerously and with less wood. The furnace stove that he invented is called a Franklin stove. Interestingly, Ben also established the first fire company and the first fire insurance company in order to help people live more safely.
As the postmaster, Ben had to figure out routes for delivering the mail. He went out riding in his carriage to measure the routes and needed a way to keep track of the distance. He invented a simple odometer and attached it to his carriage.
In his old age, Ben retired from business and public service and wanted to spend his time reading and studying. He found, however, that his old age had made it difficult for him to reach books from the high shelves. Even though he had many grandchildren to help him, he invented a tool called a long arm to reach the high books. The long arm was a long wooden pole with a grasping claw at the end.
Later, other famous inventors, like Thomas A. Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, would follow in Ben’s footsteps by trying to find ways to help people live better. Today’s curious thinkers are keeping Ben’s traditions alive by inventing new and improved ways to make things work.
68. We can learn from the passage that Benjamin Franklin ___________________.
A. made his first invention using a kite
B. made his living by delivering the mail
C. set up some companies to help people to live better
D. made a stove which used other fuels instead of wood
69. The underlined word “odometer” in Paragraph 3 refers to something that ________.
A. contains the mail B. shows the direction
C. makes the carriage go fastD. records total miles covered
70. Benjamin Franklin invented a long arm in order to _________.
A. replace his disabled arm
B. play games with his grandchildren
C. get books from the bookshelf more easily
D. clean and tidy his house and the bookshelf
71. The last paragraph mainly wants to tell us that _____________.
A. Ben was the most famous inventor.
B. other inventors learned a lot from Ben.
C. Ben’s spirit of inventing remain with us.
D. thinkers are more likely to become inventors