Kiss crisis, hug horrors and the UK's handshake headaches
Greeting someone, saying goodbye – these situations fill me with unease. You have a second to make a dangerous decision. One peck (轻吻)? Two pecks? Three? No kisses at all? Why, I think, as I crash into the other person’s face, why can’t it be as simple as a handshake?
A survey by the soap company Radox in May showed one in five Brits now feels a handshake is “too formal”, according to the Daily Mail. Some 42 percent said they never shook hands when greeting friends. For one third of people the alternative was a hug, for 16 percent a kiss on the cheek.
British people are known to be reserved (保守的) – unfriendly, some would say. Handshakes used to work for us because we didn’t have to get too close. But the super-British handshake is no longer fashionable. We want to be more like our easygoing Mediterranean neighbors who greet each other with kisses and hugs.
The trouble is, we still find it a bit awkward. What does a married man do when greeting a married female friend, for example? How should someone younger greet someone older?
Guys don’t tend to kiss one another; my male friends in Britain go for the “manly hug”, taking each other stiffly (不自然地) in one arm and giving a few thumps on the back with words like “Take it easy, yeah?”.
The biggest questions, if you do decide to kiss, are how many times and which cheek first. Unlike the French, who comfortably deliver three, our cheek-pecks usually end in embarrassed giggling (咯咯笑): “Oh, gosh, sorry, I didn’t mean to kiss you on the lips, I never know where to aim for first!”
But then it’s never been easy for us poor, uncomfortable Brits. Even the handshake had its problems: don’t shake too hard, but don’t hold the other person’s hand too limply (无力地) either, and definitely don’t go in with sweaty hands.
Maybe it’s better to leave it at a smile and a nod. What is the article mainly about?
| A．Origin of the traditional British way of greeting someone. |
| B．New trends and problems that Brits have with the way they greet people. |
| C．Why the author feels uneasy when greeting someone or saying goodbye. |
| D．Differences in greetings between Britain and other Western countries. |
What did the survey by the soap company Radox show?
| A．It is now considered unfriendly to greet friends with a handshake in Britain. |
| B．A kiss on the cheek is becoming the most popular form of greeting in Britain. |
| C．Most Brits no longer offer to shake hands with those they meet. |
| D．More and more Brits prefer to be greeted with a hug or kiss. |
The underlined word “awkward” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．not helpful | B．too informal | C．quite embarrassed | D．very interesting |
Which does the author think might be the safest form of greeting for a British person?
| A．A hug. | B．A smile and a nod. | C．A handshake. | D．A kiss on the cheek. |
Who wrote the article?
| A．A British writer. | B．An American writer. | C．A French writer. | D．A Chinese writer. |
“Dad! He took a book without paying!” I yelled.
My father looked surprised. Before the boy could say anything, his mother grabbed his arm and shook it. “Is it true? You stole? Tell me!”
Everyone was quiet. The boy began to cry, and he nodded his head. He pulled out the comic book (漫画书) from under his shirt.
“Oh, Mr. Kim. I am sorry! My Ted made a big mistake!” Mrs. Diaz told my father. She tried to take the comic book, but Ted wouldn’t let go.
“It’s OK. He can keep it,” my father said with a smile.
“Oh no,” Mrs. Diaz said. “Let me pay right now ...” She dug in her purse. “How much?”
“Three seventy-five.”
Mrs. Diaz’s eyes widened, and she dug deeper. I saw her mouth make a small line. “Three seventy-five?” she asked.
“It’s OK. You can pay later,” my father said.
“No,” Mrs. Diaz said. She kept looking in her purse. “I have money here.”
I felt bad for yelling, for I realized that Ted had tried to steal the comic book because he didn’t have the money. Maybe the boy could have a job, I thought.
I had an idea.
“What if he worked with me?” I asked. They turned to me.
I said, “He can work with me to pay for the comic book.”
“Good,” my father said smiling at me. Mrs. Diaz nodded. She turned to her son, “You hear? You will work and buy the comic book!”
“Yes, Mama,” Ted said, hanging his head.
As they left, Ted looked back, and though he still seemed sad, he stuck out (伸出) his tongue at me.
Ted has been working here for two weeks. He has paid for the comic book, but my father says he is such a good worker that he can work with me as long as he wants. We are friends now.Where did the story most probably take place?
| A．In a classroom. | B．In a supermarket. | C．At a bookstore. | D．At a library. |
By saying “but Ted wouldn’t let go” in Paragraph 4, the author means Ted ______.
| A．took the book by mistake | B．wanted to keep the book |
| C．didn’t want to go home | D．didn’t think he was wrong |
From the underlined sentences in the eighth paragraph, we may infer that Mrs. Diaz ______.
| A．didn’t think her son stole the book | B．had been out of work for a long time |
| C．forgot to take money with her that day | D．couldn’t afford to pay for the book |
In the last paragraph, what does the author mainly tell?
| A．His idea was successful. | B．Ted didn’t like the job. |
| C．He liked Ted very much. | D．Ted was a naughty boy. |
Good afternoon, and welcome to England. We hope that your visit here will be a pleasant one. Today, I would like to draw your attention to a few of our laws.
The first one is about drinking. Now, you may not buy alcohol (酒) in this country if you are under 18 years of age, nor may your friends buy it for you.
Secondly, noise. Enjoy yourselves by all means, but please don’t make unnecessary noise, particularly at night. We ask you to respect other people who may wish to be quiet.
Thirdly crossing the road. Be careful. The traffic moves on the left side of the road in this country. Use pedestrian crossings (人行横道) and do not take any chances when crossing the road.
My next point is about litter (throwing away waste material in a public place). It is an offence (违法行为) to drop litter in the street. When you have something to throw away, please put it in your pocket and take it home, or put it in a litter bin.
Finally, as regards smoking, it is against the law to buy cigarettes or tobacco (烟草) if you are under 16 years of age.
I’d like to finish by saying that if you require any sort of help or assistance, you should contact your local police station, who will be pleased to help you.
Now, are there any questions?The main purpose of this speech would be to ____ .
| A．prepare people for international travel |
| B．declare the laws of different kinds |
| C．give advice to travellers to the country |
| D．inform people of the punishment for breaking laws |
From the speech we learn that ____
| A．In this country, if you are under 18 years of age, you may not buy alcohol, but your friend can buy it for you. |
| B．You may not buy cigarettes or tobacco unless you are above 16 years of age. |
| C．Because the traffic moves on the left side of he road ,you must use pedestrian crossings when crossing the road. |
| D．You can’t make noise except at night. |
The underlined word contact in the seventh paragraph means ____ .
| A．keep in touch with | B．get in touch with | C．join | D．report |
Fifteen people were killed and 38 others injured in a road accident early Wednesday morning in Ens hi， Central China’s Hu bei Province．
The bus， travelling from Wanzhou in Southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality to Shen zhen in South China’s Guangdong Province， had 53 passengers on board，three more than permitted．
At around 1 am on Wednesday， the bus increased speed gradually on a curve（弯路）and plunged（往前冲） more than 30 metres into a valley below． Thirteen people， including one of the two drivers， died at once． Two others died on the way to hospital．
Although the cause of the accident is still unclear， the local police said the driver paid no attention to the official warning signs on the expressway(高速公路)．
It hit a section which had been closed as a result of snow．
Because of the cold weather and icy roads，the expressway had been closed by police since Tuesday morning． But the bus drivers took the dangerous route, paying no attention to the warnings．
The rescue team， which included more than 30 medical workers and 120 local villagers，joined together and rushed to the scene at the news of the accident． By 5 am， all of the injured had been sent to three local hospitals for emergency treatment． A hospital source said most of the patients were in a stable（稳定的）condition but a few were still in danger．
According to a 2009 national public opinion poll， traffic accidents ranked as people’s third biggest security（安全） concern． When the accident took place，＿＿＿＿．
| A．the bus was on the way to Shenzhen |
| B．most of the passengers were sound asleep |
| C．all the passengers were given immediate rescue |
| D．it was snowing hard |
The expressway was closed to ＿＿＿＿．
| A．protect the passengers from being frozen |
| B．make the police have a good rest |
| C．stop cars traveling around |
| D．avoid（避免） the happening of traffic accidents |
What the local villagers did showed that they were ＿＿＿＿．
| A．curious（好奇的） | B．warm hearted | C．frightened | D．simple minded |
Not many years ago, a wealthy and rather strange old man named Johnson lived alone in a village in the south of England. He had made a lot of money in trading with foreign countries. When he was seventy—five, he gave £ 12,000 to the village school to buy land and equipment (设备) for a children’s playground.
As a result of his kindness, many people came to visit him. Among them was a newspaperman. During their talk, Johnson remarked that he was seventy-five and expected to live to be a hundred. The newspaperman asked him how he managed to be healthy at seventy—five. Johnson had a sense of humour (幽默). He liked whisky (威士忌酒) and drank some each day. “I have an injection (注射) in my neck each evening.”he told the newspaperman, thinking of his evening glass of whisky.
The newspaperman did not understand what Johnson meant. In his newspaper he reported that Johnson was seventy—five and had a daily injection in his neck. Within a week Johnson received thousands of letters from all over Britain, asking him for the secret of his daily injection.Johnson became a rich man through
| A．doing business. | B．making whisky. | C．cheating. | D．buying and selling land. |
The gift of money to the school suggests that Johnson
| A．had no children. | B．was a strange man. |
| C．was very fond of children. | D．wanted people to know how rich he was. |
Many people wrote to Johnson to find out
| A．why he gave so much money to the school. | B．how to live longer. |
| C．how to become wealthy. | D．in which part of the neck to have an injection. |
The newspaperman
| A．should have reported what Johnson had told him. |
| B．shouldn’t have asked Johnson what injection he had. |
| C．was eager to live a long life. |
| D．should have found out what Johnson really meant. |
For many people today, reading is no longer relaxation. To keep up with their work they must read letters, reports, trade publications, interoffice communications: a never-ending flood of words. In getting a job or advancing in one, the ability to read and comprehend quickly can mean the difference between success and failure. Yet the unfortunate fact is that most of us are poor readers.
Most reading faults can be traced to early school training. According to Dr. Betts, two persons out of five in school were forced to read material too difficult for them to understand at the time, a frustration experience which left them with bad reading habits.
Fortunately, almost anyone can learn to read faster and with more comprehension. Age makes little difference. According to a recent study of 138 students at The Reading Laboratory, Inc. , all age groups showed a marked increase in reading rate after training from 93 percent for the 50-90 age group to 142 percent for the 20-29.Dr. Mila Banton Smith, director of New York University’s Reading Institute, says that the average adult student, in 28 training hours, nearly triples (三倍的) his reading speed and boosts(增长) his comprehension by about 30 percent.
The best way to improve your reading, of course, is to enroll(登记) in a reading clinic. If there’s no clinic handy, you can improve your reading ability yourself--- provided you have no eyes troubles. (if reading tires you easily or makes your eyes or head ache, you should consult a doctor.)To many people today, _______.
| A．reading quickly is easy |
| B．reading quickly and comprehending quickly can ensure their success |
| C．reading is only for fun |
| D．reading can ensure their success |
Most reading faults are_______
| A．due to early school training |
| B．a frustrating experience |
| C．made by reading difficult materials |
| D．made by reading carelessly |
Who can learn to read fast and with comprehension?
| A．teachers only | B．students only |
| C．a few people | D．almost everybody |
According to the passage, what is the best way to improve one’s reading？
| A．go to a doctor |
| B．review what has been learnt at school |
| C．go to reading remedial class for special training |
| D．consult a dictionary |