The playwright George Bernard Shaw once said humorously, “England and America are two nations divided by a common language. If he were writing today, he might add ‘divided by a common technology--- e-mail’”.
Two completely different styles of e-mail have formed on either side of the Atlantic-Euromail and Amerimail. Americail is informal and chatty. It’s likely to begin with a “Hi” and end with a “Bye”. The chances of Amerimail containing a smiley face or an “xoxo” are disturbingly high. We Americans are unwilling to dive into the meat of an e-mail. We feel we have to first inform recipients (收信人) about our vacation on the island which was really excellent except the jellyfish were biting and the kids caught a cold, so we had to skip the whale watching trip, but about that investors’ meeting in New York. Amerimail is a bundle of contradictions, casual and yet direct, respectful yet over proud. In other words, Amerimail is America.
Euromail is stiff and cold often beginning with a formal “Dear Mr. X” and ending with a simple “Sincerely”. You won’t find any mention of kids or the weather or jellyfish in Euromail. It’s all business. It’s also slow. Your correspondent might take days even weeks to answer a message. Euromail is exactly like the Europeans themselves.
Recently about 100 managers were asked on both sides of the Atlantic whether they noticed differences in e-mail styles. Most said yes. Here are a few of their observations:
“Americans tend to write (e-mail) exactly as they speak.”
“Why don’t you just call me instead of writing five e-mails back and forth?”
“Europeans are less interested in checking e-mail”.
“In general, Americans are much more responsive to e-mail—they respond faster and provide more information.”
So which is better, Euromail or Amerimail? I realized it’s not popular these days to suggest we have anything to learn from Europeans, but I’m fed up with an inbox filled with casual, barely meaningful e-mails from friends and colleagues. If the alternative is a few earnestly written, carefully worded bits of Euromail, then I say, “Bring it on.” What did George Bernard Shaw mean by saying “England and America are two nations divided by a common language”?
| A．There is not much difference between British English and American English. |
| B．Both England and America speak the common language, so they are much the same. |
| C．Either England or America is a divided nation, though they share a common language. |
| D．There is sharp difference between England and America despite their common language. |
Which of the following is most likely to be the “meat” of an Amerimail?
| A．The jellyfish were biting. |
| B．We had an excellent vacation on the island. |
| C．We had to skip the whale watching trip. |
| D．We were to attend the investors’ meeting in New York. |
On receiving an e-mail, Europeans tend to __________.
| A．respond to it immediately and earnestly |
| B．take more time than Americans to respond to it |
| C．respond by calling up their correspondent |
| D．never respond to it all |
What are characteristics of Amerimail?
| A．Informal and chatty | B．Casual and indirect |
| C．Stiff and cold | D．Formal and direc60 |
We can conclude from the passage that __________.
| A．the different e-mail styles do much harm to the relationship between the two sides on Atlantic |
| B．Amerimail is more appreciated by the writer for being informative and casually written |
| C．Euromail always impresses the writer as something more pleasant to read |
| D．the writer doesn’t favor either e-mail style as both have their own shortcomings |
It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货）, saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性）as a whole. And it has influenced（影响）us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.Why was the bike so important to the couple?
| A．The man’s job was bike racing. |
| B．It was their only possession. |
| C．It was a nice Kona 18 speed. |
| D．They used it for work and daily life. |
We can infer from the text that ____________.
| A．the couple worked 60 hours a week. |
| B．people were busy before Christmas |
| C．the stranger brought over the bike |
| D．life was hard for the young family. |
How did people get to know the couple’s problem?
| A．From radio broadcasts. |
| B．From a newspaper. |
| C．From TV news. |
| D．From a stranger. |
A couple had two little boys aged 8 and 10 who were very naughty．They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that if any trouble occurred in their town their sons were probably involved.
The boys' mother heard that a clergyman（牧师） in the town had been successful in educating children so she asked if he would speak with her boys．The clergyman agreed but asked to see them individually．So the mother sent her 8-year-old first in the morning with the elder boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon.
The clergyman, a huge man with a booming （嗡嗡） voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him strictly, "Where is God?"
The boy's mouth dropped open but he made no answer, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, wide-eyed．So the clergyman repeated the question in an even stricter tone "Where is God?" Again the boy made no attempt to answer．So the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and shouted" Where is God?"
The boy screamed and escaped from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him．When his elder brother found him in the closet, he asked "What happened?"
The younger brother replied out of breath, "We are in big trouble this time．God is missing--and they think we did it．"What were the two boys like?
| A．They always made trouble． | B．They were brave. |
| C．They were easygoing. | D．They were honest. |
What did their parents plan to do?
| A．They gave up their children. |
| B．They liked their children very much. |
| C．They wanted the clergyman to persuade their children． |
| D．They helped their children to make trouble. |
What do you suppose the boy felt when he was asked by the clergyman?
| A．Happy． | B．Sad. |
| C．Afraid． | D．Surprised. |
What do you think the underlined word "slamming" in Paragraph 5 means?
| A．Open． | B．Shut． | C．Knock． | D．Pull. |
America is growing older. Fifty years ago, only 4 out of every 100 people in the United States were 65 or older. Today, 10 out of every 100 Americans are over 65. The aging of the population will affect American society in many ways — education, medicine, and business. Quietly, the graying（老龄化）of America has made us a very different society — one in which people have a quite different idea of what kind of behavior is suitable at various ages.
A person’s age no longer tells you anything about his / her social position, marriage or health. There’s no longer a particular year in which one goes to school or goes to work or gets married or starts a family. The social clock that kept us on time and told us when to go to school, get a job, or stop working isn’t as strong as it used to be. It doesn’t surprise us to hear of a 29-year-old university president or a 35-year-old grandmother, or a 70-year-old man who has become a father for the first time. Public ideas are changing.
Many people say, "I am much younger than my mother-or my father- was at my age." No one says "Act your age" anymore. We’ve stopped looking with surprise at older people who act in youthful ways.It can be learned from the text that the aging of the population in America ______.
| A．has made people feel younger |
| B．has changed people’s social position |
| C．has changed people’s understanding of age |
| D．has slowed down the country’s social development |
The underlined word ‘one’ refers to _______.
| A．a society | B．America | C．a place | D．population |
"Act your age" means people should _______.
| A．be active when they are old |
| B．do the right thing at the right age |
| C．show respect to their parents young or old |
| D．take more physical exercises suitable to their age |
If a 25-year-old man become general manager of a big firm, the writer of the text would most probably consider it _______.
| A．normal | B．wonderful |
| C．unbelievable | D．unreasonable |
It was already dark when an old man came to a small town. He found an inn and wanted to stay there for the night. After he had gone to his room, the owner said to his wife, “Look at his bag, dear. I’m sure there are lots of valuable things in it. I want to steal it when he is asleep.”
“No, no,” said the woman. “He must look for his bag tomorrow morning. Then he’ll take you before the judge.” They thought and at last the woman had an idea. “We have forgetful grass,” said the woman, “Why not put some into his food? If he has the food, he will forget to take his bag away.” “How clever you are!” said the owner, “Don’t forget it when you prepare supper for him.”
The old man had the food with the forgetful grass and went to bed. The next morning, when the owner got up, he found the door was open and the old man had left with his bag. He woke his wife up and said angrily, “What a fool! Your forgetful grass isn’t useful at all.”
“No, no,” said the woman. “I don’t think so. He must forget something.”
“Oh, I’ve remembered!” The owner cried out suddenly, “He forgot…”The old man came to the inn _______.
| A．in the morning | B．in the afternoon |
| C．in the evening | D．at night |
The owner and his wife wanted to _______.
| A．get the man’s bag |
| B．steal the man’s money |
| C．make the man pay them more |
| D．hide the man’s bag |
The owner and his wife put the forgetful grass into the food because _______.
| A．the old man always forgot something |
| B．they wanted to make the food better |
| C．they hoped the old man would leave the bag in the inn |
| D．they wanted to know if the grass was useful |
According to the passage the old man forgot _______.
| A．to take his bag away |
| B．to tell the owner when he left |
| C．to close the door when he went to sleep |
| D．to pay them the inn money |
On the coast of Brazil lies its most famous city Rio de Janeiro. Rio is a beautiful place to visit. It is full of exciting parades, historical architecture and natural beauty.
The most famous time of year in Rio is the spring when the samba schools organize a giant parade of dance, music and costumes. Samba is a type of fast Brazilian music, which is perfect for dancing. The carnival lasts two days and over 20 samba schools perform, a total of 70,000 people in brightly coloured costumes, all dancing and singing! It is a magnificent spectacle and millions of people watch the carnival on television around the world.
Rio de Janeiro is a religious city and it is full of churches. Some, like the former Imperial Church, were built over 400 years ago while others, like the Metropolitan Cathedral, are very modern. The Metropolitan Cathedral was built in 1976 and is so large that 20,000 people can stand inside at one time!
Another important religious site in Rio is the Corcovado hill. On the top of the hill, along with a small church, stands a 30-metre high statue of Jesus with his arms stretched out. From this point you can see every part of the city. Brazilian carnival is_________.
| A．a type of Brazilian music |
| B．a parade of 70,000 people dancing and singing |
| C．a parade of millions of people on television |
| D．the name of a samba school |
The Metropolitan Cathedral___________.
| A．was built 400 years ago | B．is on Corcovado Hill |
| C．is a religious city | D．was built in 1976 |
The Corcovado Hill is famous for__________.
| A．the samba parade |
| B．the beautiful view of the city |
| C．the statue of Jesus |
| D．the small church |