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 |
The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3—old—daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became angry when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. However, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, ”This is for you, Daddy.”
The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger burst again when he found out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, “Don’t you know when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside?” The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, “Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They are all for you, Daddy.”
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl and begged for her forgiveness.
Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.The man yelled at his daughter because ____.
| A．he was unsatisfied with the present his daughter gave him |
| B．the box his daughter gave him was empty |
| C．he had expected what was in the box |
| D．nobody gave him an empty box before |
The underlined word “crushed” can be replaced by ____.
| A．discouraged | B．pressed | C．defeated | D．shocked |
According to this passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A．The little girl wanted to show her father that she had no money. |
| B．The little didn’t think the box wrapped with gold paper was beautiful. |
| C．The little girl was misunderstood by her father at first. |
| D．The little girl wanted to play a joke on her father. |
What does the underlined sentence “Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child” mean?
| A．After a short time, the child lost her life in an accident. |
| B．After a short time, the child was hurt badly in an accident. |
| C．The accident was caused by the girl. |
| D．Soon the child killed herself because of her dissatisfaction with her father. |
Muhammad Yunus and the bank he founded are honored for their work to help the word’s poor. Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank he founded were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. They won the award for their efforts to help bring millions of people, especially women, out of poverty.
“Every single individual on earth has both the potential and the right to live a decent life. Across cultures and civilizations, Yunus and Grameen Bank have shown that even the poorest of the poor can work to bring about their own development,” the Nobel Committee said in its citation.
The Peace Prize is one of the biggest honors in the world. Yunus is the first Nobel Prize winner from Bangladesh, a nation of about 141 million people. In 1983, Yunus and the Grameen Bank started a now worldwide system that lets people borrow small amounts of money to start business. Through these loans, called “micro-credit”, the world’s poor have been able to buy much needed to run an egg business, or a cell phone in places where there is on other access to a phone.
Yunus said he would use part of the $1.4 million award money to create a company that will make low-cost, high-nutrition food for the poor. The rest of his share will go toward setting up an eye hospital for the poor in Bangladesh. ”I’m so, so happy, it’s really great news for the whole nation,” Yunus said after hearing of his win.
Since the bank began, it has lent $5.72 billion to more than 6 million Bangladeshis. About 97% of the borrowers are women.Why does Nobel Peace Prize come to Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank?
| A．Because they helped the rich become richer. |
| B．Because they helped children to finish their education. |
| C．Because they helped millions of people, especially women, out of poverty. |
| D．Because they helped millions of people, especially men, out of poverty. |
What value have Yunus and Grameen Bank demonstrated to use according to the Nobel Committee’s praise?
| A．Poor people have no right to live a rich life |
| B．Poor people can live a happier life by borrowing money from moneylenders. |
| C．The poorest of the poor can also have a happier life by working hard. |
| D．The poor people can only have a right to live a poor life. |
It can be inferred that micro-credit system ____.
| A．has made all the people in Bangladesh start their own business |
| B．has a history of about 23 years |
| C．only loaned money to the people of Bangladesh |
| D．has spread all over the world for thirty years |
It can be inferred that the average amount of micro-credit might be ____.
| A．140 dollars | B．95 dollars |
| C．970 dollars | D．572 dollars |
Cell phones with cameras are really a popular way to capture a moment in time, but some “clever” students found another use—capturing tests as a way to cheat.
The Magnolia Independent School District in Montgomery County has added camera phones to a list of electronic devices students are banned from having at school.
School officials said the move was made as a preventative measure to stop potential test cheaters, since students could use the phones to snap pictures of test questions. Another concern was that students might take inappropriate pictures of classmates to later share or post on a Website. Cell phones without cameras are allowed on campus, but must be turned off. Camera cell phones will be confiscated if found on campus, and disciplinary action will be taken, officials said.
Some students were disheartened to hear about the ban. “I’d be lost without my phone,” said Kendall Paul, a Magnolia High School student. “All my numbers are in it. I’ve never used it to cheat and I don’t know anyone who has at our school, so I think it’s kind of stupid.” But other students said they saw it all the time at their school.
“You would take a picture of the test and then send it to the next person taking the test,” said Melissa Sparks, a student.
“They would send the question and the answer, or just the number of the question and the answer. It’s quicker that way,” another student said.
Parents often provide their children with cell phones for use in emergencies and to keep better track of them. “My Mon wants me to have my phone with me at all times for emergence purpose. So, it goes with me wherever I go,” Paul said.According to this passage, which of the following statement is true?
| A．Cell phone can’t be taken into the School District. |
| B．The students’ parents are in favor of the ban. |
| C．Students have different opinions about the ban. |
| D．Students can use cell phones without camera freely at school. |
The writer would agree that____.
| A．every coin has two sides |
| B．the School District’s ban is right |
| C．parents care about their children too much |
| D．schools should not invade students’ rights |
The underlined word “it” in paragraph 4 refers to the fact that ____.
| A．some students cheat in exams |
| B．the School District’s ban is stupid |
| C．some students get lost without their camera cell phones |
| D．some students cheat in exams with camera cell phones. |
Crime is a serious problem in Britain. One sort of crime which particularly worries people is juvenile crime—that is, crimes committed by young people. For some years, juvenile crime has been increasing. There are two main sorts of juvenile crime：stealing and violence. Most people do not understand why young people commit these crimes. There are, I think, a large number of different reasons.
These crimes are not usually committed by people who are poor or in need. Young people often dislike and hate the adult world. They will do things to show that they are rebels. Also in Britain today it is easier for young people to commit crimes because they have more freedom to go where they like and more money to do what they like.
There are two other possible causes which are worth mentioning. More and more people in Britain live in large towns. In a large town no one knows who anyone else is or where they live. But in the village I come from crimes are rare because everyone knows everybody else.
Although it is difficult to explain, I think the last cause is very important. Perhaps there is something wrong with our society which encourages violence and crime. It is a fact that all the crime children are exposed to films and reports about crime and violence. Many people don’t agree that this influences young people, but I think that young people are very much influenced by the society they grow up in. I feel that the fault may be as much with our whole society as with these young people.How many causes of juvenile crime are mentioned in the text?
| A．two. | B．three | C．four | D．five |
According to the passage which young group from Britain is least likely to commit crimes?
| A．adults in big cities |
| B．adults who are in great need of help |
| C．young people in big cities |
| D．young people in the countryside |
In the last paragraph, the underlined part “our society which encourages violence and crime” means ___.
| A．people don’t care much about violence and crime |
| B．the people who commit crimes are not punished severely |
| C．some criminals escaped being punished |
| D．social environment has a bad effect on young people |
What’s the main meaning of this passage?
| A．Different kinds of juvenile crime. |
| B．The causes of juvenile crime. |
| C．Increasing crime rate in Britain |
| D．Stealing and violence in Brotain |
Everybody has to buy or sell things sometimes. Even students who are usually not very rich, have to learn something about making purchases intelligently. As a student, you may find, for example, that you need to a walkman or winter clothing. You may want to buy a television or a used car. Of course, you want to get good value for your money. If you are considering a major purchase, or any purchase you should remember several important things.
※Study first, and then decide what to buy. You can learn a lot just by reading books and advertisements.
Remember that a high quality product will probably last longer and work better. Of course, for a superior product you are expected to pay more. An inferior product may not give you the same quality, but the price could be low. A poor quality product could be expensive and a valuable one could be on sale at a greatly reduced price.
※Don’t worry. Take your time. After you decide what product you want to buy, go to many different stores. If you cannot find the product you want, you try to order it directly from the factory or ask the store to order it for you.
Look for a good deal. If you wait, you may probably find that your product will go on sale and you may be able to save 10,20, or even 50 percent of the original price.
Finally, before you buy, make sure that that product is guaranteed. If you find the lowest possible price, you will generally be happy with your purchase and also keep more money in the bank.Which of the following should you care more while shopping?
| A．The price of the product | B．The information of the product |
| C．The size of the product | D．The quality of the product |
According to the writer, waiting before shopping probably means_____.
| A．saving money | B．wasting money |
| C．losing the product | D．wasting time |
If you want to have a good purchase, you should do all the following except ____
| A．getting enough information about the product |
| B．taking your friend’s advice |
| C．making sure about the guarantee of the product |
| D．waiting until the proper time |
The main purpose of the passage is to tell us that ____.
| A．how to find the product you want |
| B．how to have a good purchase |
| C．how to save money |
| D．how to buy product with high quality. |