Destiny and Personal Responsibility
One important variable affecting communication across cultures is destiny（命运）and personal responsibility. This refers to the degree to which we feel ourselves the masters of our lives, contrary to the degree to which we see ourselves as subject to things outside our control. Another way to look at this is to ask how much we see ourselves able to change and act, to choose the course of our lives and relationships. Some have drawn a parallel between the personal responsibility in North American settings and the view itself. The North American view is vast, with large spaces of unpopulated land. The frontier attitude of “King” of the wilderness, and the expansiveness of the land reaching huge distances, may relate to generally high levels of confidence in the ability to shape and choose our destinies.
In this expansive land, many children grow up with a heroic sense of life, where ideas are big, and hope springs forever. When they experience temporary failures, they encouraged to redouble their efforts, to “try, try again.” Action, efficiency（效率）, and achievement are valued and expected. Free will is respected in laws and enforced by courts.
Now consider places in the world with much smaller land, whose history reflects wars and tough struggles: Northern Ireland, Mexico, Israel, Palestine. In these places, destiny’s role is more important in human life. In Mexico, there is a history of hard life, fighting over land, and loss of homes. Mexicans are more likely to see struggles as part of their life and unavoidable. Their passive attitude is expr4essed in their way of responding to failure or accident by saying “ni modo”(“no way” or “tough lick”), meaning that the failure was destined.
This variable is important to understanding cultural conflict. If someone believing in free will crosses paths with someone more passive, miscommunication is likely. The first person may expect action and accountability. Failing to see it, he may conclude that the second is lazy, not cooperative, or dishonest. The second person will expect respect for the natural order of thins. Failing to see it, he may conclude that the first is forcible, rude, or big headed in his ideas of what can be accomplished or changed.The author thinks that one’s character is partly determined by .
| A．physical senses | B．general attitude |
| C．financial background | D．geographic characteristics |
According to the passage, Mexicans would think that Americans are .
| A．impractical | B．dishonest | C．ambitious | D．hesitant |
The underlined word “subject” in Paragraph 1 probably means .
| A．a topic of a discussion | B．a branch of knowledge |
| C．a person being experimented on | D．a person under the power of others |
The author would probably agree that .
| A．vast land may lead to a more controllable desire |
| B．heroic sense of life roots deeply in a small country |
| C．living in limited space contributes to an accepting attitude |
| D．fighting over land may help people gain high levels of confidence |
“Experience may possibly be the best teacher, but it is not a particularly good teacher.” You might think that Winston Churchill or perhaps Mark Twain spoke those words, but they actually come from James March, a professor at Stanford University and a pioneer in the field of organizational decision making. For years March (possibly be wisest philosopher of management) has studied how humans think and act, and he continues to do so in his new book The Ambiguities of Experience.
He begins by reminding us of just how firmly we have been sticking to the idea of experiential learning: “Experience is respected；experience is sought；experience is explained.” The problem is that learning from experience involves serious complications (复杂化), ones that are part of the nature of experience itself and which March discusses in the body of this book.
In one interesting part of the book, for example, he turns a doubtful eye toward the use of stories as the most effective way of experiential learning. In our efforts to make stories interesting, he argues, we lose part of the complicated truth of things. He says “The more accurately reality is presented, the less understandable the story, and the more understandable the story, the less realistic it is.”
Besides being a broadly knowledgeable researcher, March is also a poet, and his gift shines through in the depth of views he offers and the simple language he uses. Though the book is short, it is demanding: Don’t pick it up looking for quick, easy lessons. Rather, be ready to think deeply about learning from experience in work and life. According to the text, James March is ________.
| A．a poet who uses experience in his writing |
| B．a teacher who teachers story writing in university |
| C．a researcher who studies the way humans think and act |
| D．a professor who helps organizations make important decisions |
According to James March, experience ________.
| A．is overvalued | B．is easy to explain |
| C．should be actively sought | D．should be highly respected |
What can we learn from Paragraph 3?
| A．Experience makes stories more accurate. |
| B．Stories made interesting fail to fully present the truth. |
| C．The use of stories is the best way of experiential learning. |
| D．Stories are easier to understand when reality is more accurately described. |
What’s the purpose of this text?
| A．To introduce a book. | B．To describe a researcher. |
| C．To explain experiential learning. | D．To discuss organizational decision making. |
Toyoda said those changes were being made nearly around the clock，but during three hours of often tense questions and answers he repeated that there was no link to the vehicle’s electronic systems．
Many drivers making complaints against Toyota and the government say their acceleration problems had nothing to do with floor mat interference(油门踏板故障)or sticky gas pedals(刹车)．Outside experts have suggested electronic problems.
House lawmakers expressed serious criticism on Toyoda，the grandson of the company’s founder．
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA)is seeking records on Toyota’s recalls and is conducting its own review on whether electronics were behind the car faults．NHTSA also continues to look into steering complaints from drivers of the popular Corolla model．
Toyota has recalled 8.5 million cars，more than 6 million of them in the United States．
It may be a while before car buyers believe that Toyota really makes safe cars．
Toyota’s January sales already fell 16 percent even as most other automakers jumped back from last year’s bad results．Analyst Koji Endo of Advanced Research Japan in Tokyo said he expects February sales，due out next week，to be down 30 percent to 40. Toyota’s sales problem could continue beyond that．
It will take some time to feel the full effect of this，he said．The best title for this passage is．
| A．Toyota is in trouble | B．Toyota is under hearing |
| C．Toyota is finished | D．Toyota is still running |
What is the purpose of the hearing?
| A．America hopes that Toyota apologizes to the US customers． |
| B．America wants to get Toyota out of the US market． |
| C．America wants to help Toyota out of difficulty． |
| D．America hopes that Toyota admits their cars have electronic system problem． |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Toyota provides very good post sale service． |
| B．Toyota’s biggest market is in the United States． |
| C．Toyota will be closed soon． |
| D．Toyota’s dealership in the US will all be closed． |
The last sentence of this passage indicates .
| A．Analyst Koji Endo is fully confident about Toyota |
| B．Toyota could meet a worse situation |
| C．Toyota would get out of trouble sooner or later |
| D．Toyota would build up a better reputation among its customers |
Today is National Bike-to-Work Day. And on New York City’s jammed streets, people are cycling on hundreds of miles of new bike lanes. But New York’s widespread efforts to make streets safer for bikes have also left some locals complaining about the loss of parking spots and lanes for cars.
When the weather is good, Aaron Naparstek likes to pedal（用踏板踩）his two young kids to school on a special Dutch-made bicycle. Naparstek supports the new lane.
Aaron: The bike lane on Prospect Park West is really introducing a lot of new people to the idea that it’s possible to use a bike in New York City for transportation or to travel around. This is what 21st century New York City looks like.
Prospect Park West is still a one-way road, but where it used to have three lanes of car traffic, now it has two, plus a protected bike lane. Supporters say that makes the road safer for everyone, including pedestrians, by slowing down cars and taking bikes off the sidewalk. But some longtime residents disagree. Lois Carswell is president of a group called Seniors for Safety. She says the two-way bike lane is dangerous to older residents who are used to one-way traffic.
Lois: We wanted a lane — the right kind of lane that would keep everybody safe, that would keep the bikers safe. But we want it to be done the right way. And it has not been done the right way.
Craig Palmer builds bars and restaurants in Manhattan. I was interviewing him for a different story when he brought up the bike lanes all on his own.
Craig: I think the biggest problem is that Bloomberg put all these bike lanes in. You took what used to be a full street and you’re shrinking it.
Then there are the Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, who forced the city to remove a bike lane through their neighborhood. But polls show that the majority of New Yorkers support bike lanes by a margin of 56% to 39%. Bicycle advocate Caroline Samponaro of Transportation Alternatives calls that a mandate.
Caroline: If this was an election, we would have already had our victory. The public has spoken and they keep speaking. And I think, more importantly, the public is starting to vote with their pedals.What does Aaron mean by saying “This is what 21st century New York City looks like.”?
| A．There are hundreds of miles of new bike lanes in 21 st century New York City. |
| B．Drivers slow down their cars and bikes are taken off the sidewalk in New York. |
| C．Bikes are used as a means of transport in 21 st century New York City. |
| D．It’s possible to make the streets safe for pedestrians in New York. |
According to the passage, which of the following CANNOT support the opponents of these new bike lanes?
| A．Drivers lose parking spots and lanes for cars. |
| B．The two-way bike lane is dangerous to older residents. |
| C．We took what used to be a full street so the road is broader than before. |
| D．The removal of one bike lane through a neighbourhood in Brooklyn was not supported by the majority of New Yorkers. |
“A mandate” in Paragraph 8 was referred to a demand or command from ______.
| A．the authority | B．the public | C．the supporters | D．the government |
What of the following might be the best title of the passage?
| A．Ride on National Bike-to-Work Day | B．A New Bike Lane Appears in New York |
| C．A Bike Lane Divides New Yorkers | D．Who Wins an Election |
Some say every day miracles are predestined (注定的)---- All that’s necessary is readiness, the right circumstance for the appointed meeting. And it can happen anywhere.
In 1999, 11-year-old Kevin Stephan was a bat boy for his younger brother's Little League team in Lancaster, New York. It was an early evening in late July. Kevin was standing on the grass away from the plate, where another youngster was warming up for the next game. Swinging his bat back and forth, and giving it all the power an elementary school kid could give, the boy brought the bat back hard and hit Kevin in the chest. His heart stopped.
When Kevin fell to the ground, the mother of one of the players rushed out of the stands to his aid. Penny Brown hadn't planned to be there that day, but at the last minute,she had changed her shift (轮班) at the hospital, and she was given the night off. Penny bent over the senseless boy, his face already starting to turn blue, and giving CPR, breathing into his mouth and giving chest compressions (按压). And he came to life.
After his recovery, he became a volunteer junior firefighter, learning some of the emergency first-aid techniques that had saved his life. He studied hard in school and was saving money for college by working as a dishwasher in a local restaurant in his spare time.
Kevin, now 17, was working in the kitchen when he heard people screaming, customers in confusion, employees rushing toward a table. He hurried into the main room and saw a woman there, her face turning blue, her hands at her throat. She was choking .
Quickly Kevin stepped behind her, wrapped his arms around her and clasped his hands. Then, using skills he'd first learned in Scouts, the food that was trapped in the woman's throat was freed. The color began to return to her face.
“The food was stuck. I couldn't breathe,” she said. She thought she was dying. “I was very frightened.”
Who was the woman?
Penny Brown.Kevin Stephan fell to the ground and fainted probably because ________.
| A．he stood close to the boy who was swinging his bat |
| B．he suffered from heart attack all of a sudden |
| C．he was too excited when watching the game |
| D．he swung the bat too hard to keep his balance |
Which of the following statements is True of Kevin Stephan?
| A．He was hit on the face by a boy and almost lost his life. |
| B．He was a volunteer junior firefighter, teaching the players first-aid skills. |
| C．He worked part-time in a local restaurant to save money for college. |
| D．He saved Penny Brown though he didn’t really know how to deal with food choke |
Why did Penny Brown change her shift and was given the night off that night?
| A．She was there to give her son directions. |
| B．She volunteered to give medical services. |
| C．She was a little worried about her son’s safety. |
| D．She came to watch her son’s game and cheered him . |
It takes more than just practice to become an Olympian. Gold medal performances require some serious nutrition. Have you ever wondered what these successful athletes eat to stay in peak shape?
Keri Glassman, a registered dietitian and founder of Nutritious Life Meals, appeared on “Good Morning America” today to give you a glimpse into the diets of some top athletes. Some of their meals could surprise you.
Crazy Calorie Count
Glassman said Olympians eat a lot of food- quantities that for ordinary people would constitute pigging out. One secret of swimmer Michael Phelps’ astonishing performance in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing was consuming as many as 12,00 calories in one day.
Athletes can eat like this and not gain any weight because their workouts are intense. According to Glassman, Phelps’ workouts can burn 4,000 to 6,000 calories in a day, and those calories must be added in order to train the following day.
Snacking Secrets
Some athletes eat strange foods that improve their performance. Yohan Blake, the Jamaica sprinter and 100-meter world champion, has stolen champion sprinter Usain Bolt’s thunder on the track during the Olympic trials. Asked about how he gets his energy, Blake answered that he eats 16 bananas per day ,Glassman said.
Jonathan Horton, the lead gymnast on the Us team, has a blood sugar problem. His solution is honey. When he starts to feel shaky at the gym, he takes honey to boost his energy, Classman said.
Foods for Recovery
What are the best foods to help the body recover after harsh competition?
For Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, the recovery meal is grilled chicken breasts with Alfredo sauce, whole-grain spaghetti and a salad with lemon juice and olive oil. Lochte, who recently cut out junk food, candy and soda, has undertaken a strength-training regimen(养生法)that involves flipping tractor tires, and tossing beer kegs, Glassman said.What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．Good Diet Makes a True Olympian. |
| B．Olympians Have Olympic-size Appetites. |
| C．The Diet of Some Top Olympic Athletes. |
| D．Olympians’ Strange Eating Habits. |
What does the underlined sentence probably mean?
| A．Ordinary people eat few pigs compared with Olympians. |
| B．Olympians eat a lot more food than ordinary people. |
| C．Olympians tend to eat a lot of high-quality food. |
| D．Olympians eat a large amount of food, just like pigs. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Ryan Lochte quit eating junk food , candy and soda for his better recovery. |
| B．Yohan Blake finally beat Usain Bolt in the 100-meter track in the Olympics. |
| C．Michael Phelps’ astonishing performance was due to his eating lots of food. |
| D．Jonathan Horton has a blood sugar problem because of taking too much honey. |
The passage is most likely to be found in .
| A．a technical report | B．a fashion magazine |
| C．an education column | D．a sports newspaper |