The way we do things round here
Some years ago, I was hired by an American bank. I received a letter from the head of the Personnel Department that started, "Dear John, I am quite pleased that you have decided to join us." That "quite" saddened me. I thought he was saying "we're kind of pleased you decided to join us although I wish we had hired someone else." Then I discovered that in American English "quite" sometimes means "very", while in British English it means "fairly".
So the first lesson about working in other countries is to learn the language and by that I don't just mean the words people speak. It is body language, dress, manners, ideas and so on. The way people do things highlights many of the differences we see between cultures(文化).
Some of these differences may be only on the surface-dress, food and hours of work-while others may be deeper and take longer to deal with. Mostly, it is just a question of getting used to the differences and accepting them, like the climate(气候),while getting on with business.
Some of the differences may be an improvement. People are more polite; the service is better; you ask for something to be done and it happens without having to ask again. However, other differences can be troubling, like punctuality(准时).If you invite people to a party at 7 o'clock your guests will consider it polite to turn up exactly on time in Germany, five minutes early in the
American Midwest, an hour early in Japan, 15 minutes afterwards in the UK, up to an hour afterwards in Italy and some time in the evening in Greece. I prefer not to use the word "late" because there is nothing wrong with the times people arrive. It is simply the accepted thing to do in their own country.The author was unhappy as mentioned in paragraph 1 because he thought_____.
A.the American bank didn’t think much of him |
B.the American bank might hire another person |
C.it’s difficult to get used to American culture. |
D.it’s easy to misunderstanding Americans |
The word “highlights”in paragraph 2 probably means_____
A.encourage | B.helps to marrow |
C.increase | D.draws attention to |
According to the author, what should we do with most cultural differences?
A.Ask the native people for help. | B.Understand and accept them. |
C.Do things in our own way. | D.Do in-depth research. |
. When invited to a party the people who are usually punctual are______.
A.Italians | B.Germans | C.Greeks | D.the British |
.
IV. 阅读理解
Amelia Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas, on July 24,1897. In those days, airplanes were not nearly as common as they are today. Earhart was 12 years old before she ever saw an airplane, and she did not take her first flight until 1920. America Earhart was so thrilled by her first airplane ride that she quickly began to take flying lessons.
Her first instructor was Neta Snook, one of the first women to graduate from the Curtiss School of Aviation(飞行).Earhart borrowed mone from her mother to buy a two-seat plane. She got her US flying licence in December 1921, and in 1923, Earhart received her international pilot’s license—only the 16th woman to do so.
Amelia Earhart wasn’t afraid to break down barriers. After flying across the Atlantic as a passenger in 1928, Amelia Earhart’s next goal was to complete a transatlantic crossing(横跨大西洋)alone. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the first person to make a solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic. In 1932, exactly five years after Lindbergh’s flight, Earhart became the first woman to repeat the feat(壮举).
She decided that her next trip would be to fly around the world. In March 1937, she flew to Hawaii with fellow pilot Paul Mantz to begin this flight. Earhart lost control of the plane on takeoff, however, and the plane had to be sent to the factory for repairs.
In June, she went to Miami to again begin a flight around the world, this time with Fred Noonan as her navigator(领航员).The pair made it to New Guinea in 21 days, even though Earhart was tired and ill. During the next leg of the trip, they departed New Guinea for Howland Island, a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. July 2, 1937, was the last time Earhart and Noonan communicated with a nearby Coast Guard ship. They were never heard from again.
56.What would be the best title for the passage?
A Amelia Earhart’s Last Flight
B Amelia Earhart—the First woman to Fly Around the World
C Amelia Earhart’s Life Story
D Amelia Earhart—a Woman pilot of Great Courage
57. What can we infer from the second paragraph?
A Amelia Earhart first took her flying cource before 1920
B Amelia Earhart’s mother supported her taking flight career
C Neta Snook was Amelia Earhart’s only instructor
D Amelia Earhart also graduated from the Curtiss School of Aviation.
58. The underlined sentence in the third paragraph suggests that________
A women were not allowed to fly a plane alone at that time
B a transatlantic crossing was not a great challenge for pilots at that time
C Amelia Earhart wanted to achieve as much as men pilots do
D Amelia Earhart wasn’t afraid to fly together with men pilots
59. What happened to Amelia Earhart in the end?
A She probably got lost and died
B She successfully complete her flight around the world
C She lost control of the plane and was saved by a Coast Guard ship
D She became ill during the trip and gave it up on Howland Island.
.
That little “a” with a circle curling around it that is found in E – mail addresses is most commonly referred to as the “at” symbol.
Surprisingly though, there is no official, universal name for this sign. There are dozens of strange terms to describe the "@" symbol.
Before it became the standard symbol for electronic mail, the "@" symbol was used to represent the cost of something or how heavy something is. For instance, if you purchased 6 apples, you might write it as 6 apples "@" $1.10 each.
With the introduction of e-mail came the popularity of the "@" symbol. The "@" symbol or the "at sign" separates a person's online user name from his mail server(服务器) address. For instance, joe@uselessknowledge.com. Its widespread use on the Internet made it necessary to put this symbol on keyboards in other countries that have never seen or used the symbol before. As a result, there is really no official name for this symbol.
The actual origin of the symbol remains a mystery. History tells us that the @ symbol came from the tired hands of the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages before the invention of printing machines, every letter of a word had to be copied with great efforts by hand for each copy of a published book. The monks that performed these long, boring coping duties looked for ways to reduce the number of individual strokes (笔画) per word for common words. Although the word “at” is quite short to begin with, it was a common enough word in text and documents so that those monks thought it would be quicker and easier to shorten the word “at” even more. As a result, the monks changed the shape of “t” into a circle to surround “a”, thus leaving out two strokes in the spelling “t”.
58.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A.How “at” developed into @. B.How @ came into being.
C.How monks invented @. D.How people wrote the cost of something.
59.Which is NOT the reason for the monks to spell “at” as @?
A.Though “at” is short, it was used very often.
B.The monks wanted to be quicker and easier with their copying.
C.The monks wanted to invent a new word.
D.Copying work was long and boring for them.
60.According to paragraph 5, which is TRUE about the symbol of @ today?
A.When you are online, you must use the @ symbol.
B.Kittly 163.com@is an email address.
C.In countries where @ is used, governments have given it an official name.
D.It is likely to find the @ symbol on computer keyboards worldwide.
.
COPENHAGEN—The world is gathered in Copenhagen for the U.N. climate summit, but Denmark’s bicycle-friendly capital has also given its name to a movement of cities trying to find a kinder way to commute(往返上下班).
Nearly 40 percent of Copenhagen’s population cycle to work or school on ubiquitous(无处不在的) paved cycle paths. Many residents take to their bikes year-round, braving rain and snow through the winter in a city where the bicycles outnumber the people.
Amsterdam and Beijing too are known for their bicycles, but the Danish capital is where urban planners from around the world have been looking for ways to get their people out of cars and up onto bikes, an effort known as Copenhagenisation.
Klaus Bondam, Copenhagen’s technical and environmental chief, calls himself a “mega cyclist” and says the bike’s popularity stems partly from high taxes on cars which meant working-class Danes could not afford to drive in the 1930s and 40s. “Today you’ll meet everybody on the bicycle lanes --- women and men, rich and poor, old and young,” Bondam said.
The local government has during the last three years invested more than 250 million crowns ($49.42 million) in bicycle lanes and to make the traffic safer for bicyclists. Today around a third of the population drive cars to work or study, another third take public transport, while 37 percent cycle -- a figure the city aims to boost to 50 percent by 2015.
There are many benefits when citizens choose bicycles over cars: pollution and noise decline, public health improves, and more people on bikes or walking creates a sense of safety in the city. Fewer parked cars leaves more space for playgrounds, parks, shopping areas and other useful public places.
54.According to the first paragraph, Copenhagen is better known as __________.
A.a city without cars B.a bicycle-friendly city
C.Denmark’s capital D.the U.N. climate summit
55.We can learn from the second and the third paragraph, _________.
A.there is no path for cars during rainy and snowy days
B.citizens are limited to have only one bike for each person
C.two-thirds of people in Copenhagen cycle to work or school
D.city planners try their best to encourage more citizens to ride bikes
56.Bikes are popular in Copenhagen partly because __________.
A.the citizens are unable to afford to buy a car
B.the rich tend to keep fit by cycling to work
C.young people regard cycling a fashion to follow
D.high taxes were paid for cars in the 1930s and 40s
57.Which of the following is NOT the benefit of cycling?
A.Saving time on the road. B.Declining pollution and noise.
C.Improving public health. D.Creating safety in the city.
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My mother moved a lot when she was growing up on account of Grandpa being in the army.She hated having to adjust to new schools and make new friends.That’s why I thought she was joking when she put forward the idea of moving.But she was completely serious. “For just the two of us,” my mother said, “an apartment in the city will suit our needs much better.” Personally, I think she lost her mind.I guess I can understand why she would want to move,but what about me and what this house means to me?
I suppose if you looked at my house,you might think it was just another country house.But to me it is anything but standard.I moved into this house with my parents ten years ago. I can still remember that first day like it was yesterday.The first thing I noticed was the big front yard.To me it seemed like an ocean of grass—couldn’t wait to dive in.The backyard was full of gnarled(扭曲的,粗糙的)and scary trees that talked on windy nights.But I grew to like them and the shadows they cast in my room.My father and I even built a small tree house,where I often go to remember all the wonderful time we had before Father’s death.
This house is special—maybe only to me—but special nevertheless. It’s the little seemingly insignificant things that make this house so special to me; the ice-cold tile floors that make me tremble on midnight snake runs; the smell of my fathers pipe that still exists; the towering bookcases of my mother; the view outside my bedroom window.
This house bears too many memories, memories which would be lost if we gave it up.
50.Why did the author’s mother decide to move?
A.Because she hated the countryside.
B.Because Grandpa was on constant move.
C.Because Dad’s death made her lose her mind.
D.Because she thought a city flat more fit for them.
51.What impressed the author when she first moved into the house?
A.The tree house B.The big trees C.The cold floors D.The green grass
52.How did the author let us feel that the house was special to her?
A.By arguing whether the house was standard
B.By explaining why the house suited their needs
C.By describing the small things related to her house.
D.By comparing the differences between country and city life.
53.The author describes the house with.
A.love B.responsibility C.promise D.enthusiasm
.
If you are a male and you are reading this, congratulations: you are a survivor. According to statistics, you are more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman, and nine times more likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term, about 78 years for men in Australia, you will die on average five years before a woman.
There are many reasons for this, men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke, but perhaps more importantly, men don’t go to the doctor.
“Men aren’t seeing doctors as often as they should,” says Dr. Gullotta, “This is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike.” Gullotta says a healthy man should visit the doctor every year or two. For those over 45,it should be at least once a year.
According to a recent survey, 95%of women aged between 15 and early 40s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70% of men in the same age group.
“A lot of men think they are invincible (不可战胜的)”Gullotta says “They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think 'Dear me, if it could happen to him, …' ”
Then there is the ostrich (鸵鸟)approach, “Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know, ” says Dr. Ross Cartmill.“ Most men get their cars serviced more often than they service their bodies,” Cartmill says. He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups. Regular check-ups for men would inevitably(不可避免地) place stress on the public purse. Cartmill says. “But prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases. Besides, the final cost is far greater.”
46. Which is the most important reason why men die five years earlier on average than women according to the passage ?
A. Men drink and smoke much more than women.
B. Men aren’t as cautious as women in face of danger.
C. Men don’t seek medical care as often as women.
D. Men are more likely to suffer from fatal diseases.
47.Which of the following best completes the sentence “Dear me, if it could happen to him,…”in paragraph5 ?
A. I should avoid playing golf.
B. I should consider myself lucky.
C. it would be a big misfortune.
D. it could happen to me, too.
48. What does Dr. Ross Cartmill mean by “the ostrich approach” in paragraph 6 ?
A. A new treatment for certain psychological problems.
B. Refusal to get medical treatment for fear of the pain involved.
C. Unwillingness to find out about one’s disease because of fear.
D. A casual attitude towards one’s health conditions.
49. What does Cartmill say about regular check-ups for men?
A. They may increase public expenses.
B. They will save money in the long run.
C. They may cause psychological stress on men.
D. They will enable men to live as long as women.