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.
【小题1】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 |
| A．encourage | B．helps to marrow |
| C．increase | D．draws attention to |
| A．Ask the native people for help. | B．Understand and accept them. |
| C．Do things in our own way. | D．Do in-depth research. |
| A．Italians | B．Germans | C．Greeks | D．the British |
【小题1】A
【小题2】D
【小题3】B
【小题4】B
解析试题解析：社会文化类阅读。本文讲述了作者通过自己的亲身经历体会到的各国在文化、语言方面的差异，告诉我们一个道理：了解文化差异并且适应和接受文化的差异。。
【小题1】A 细节理解题。根据第一段第三行I thought he was saying "we're kind of pleased you decided to join us although I wish we had hired someone else.可以得出A正确。
【小题2】D词义猜测题。根据第二段内容：所以在其他国家工作的第一课就是学习语言，我所指的不只是文字和人说的话，而是肢体语言，衣着，举止，思想等。人们做事的方式让我们注意到不同文化之间的差异。所以D正确。
【小题3】B细节理解题。革命军第三段的最后一句话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.可以得出B正确。
【小题4】Ｂ细节理解题。根据第四段最后一句话．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,可以得出B正确。
考点：社会文化类短文理解。
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The British aren’t having as many children as they used to , One reason is that people are having children much older than before, meaning they have fewer year in which they can have them, After years at university ,they need a few years of work experience before they can get the job they want, They might then get married, but it’s incredibly expensive to buy a house in the UK.
The above explains why young British people now don’t move out of their parents’ home until they are around 30 years old on average, It’s only after this age that many young people start thinking about having a child , However , it is quite expensive to bring up a child in the UK, Both parents need to work just to pay for their child during the day, Paying for this childcare is always expensive, What’s more ,financial crisis and unemployment are making things even harder for families, With so much pressure on families, is it any surprise that the divorce rate is so high?
So what is Britain doing to try and save the British family ? The government is trying to make it cheaper to have children , For example ,there are increasing government subsidies for nursery schools, so that parents do not need to bay so much for child care.
The government is also trying to reduce the number of hours British parents have to work to earn enough money to pay their bills, If parents didn’t have to work so many hours, they’d have moue time to spend with their children and wouldn’t need to spend so much on childcare, On average, a Briton works 49 hours a week ,which is the most in Europe, The state is now considering introducing laws to encourage companies to improve their employees’ work –life balance, Let’s hope they’re not too late to save the British family , Otherwise, the British will always be too tired ,and won’t have enough time and money, to have children.
【小题1】Young British people live in their parents’ home until around 30 because
| A．They are allowed to get married at 30 |
| B．they can’t allowed to get married at 30 |
| C．they can’t afford a house of their own until then |
| D．they enjoy family life with their parents |
| A．they have fewer years to have children |
| B．they live much shorter lives than before |
| C．it is more expensive to bring up a child |
| D．people are losing their jobs because of the recent financial crisis |
| A．food paid by the government |
| B．school buildings for poor students |
| C．free transportation |
| D．money from the government to benefit the public |
| A．with long work hours, it is hard for British parents to balance life and work |
| B．more and more families in Britain are breaking up because they are having fewer children |
| C．among Europeans, British people work hardest and earn the least |
| D．childcare takes up too much energy and time for the British |
| A．bringing down prices |
| B．raising the salaries of parents |
| C．reducing family income tax |
| D．increasing subsidies for families and nursery schools |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
A new generation addiction is quickly spreading all over the world. Weboholism（网瘾）, a twentieth century disease, affects people from different ages. They surf the net, use e-mail and speak in chat rooms. They spend many hours on the computer, and it becomes a compulsive habit. They cannot stop, and it affects their lives.
Ten years ago, no one thought that using computers could become compulsive behavior that could affect the social and physical life of computer users. Such behavior has seriously affected teenagers and college students. They are likely to log(写日志) on computers and spend long hours at different websites.
They become hooked（着迷） on computers and gradually their social and school life is affected by this situation. They spend all free time surfing and don’t concentrate on homework, so this addiction influences their grades and success at school. Because they can find everything on the websites, they hang out there. Moreover, this addiction to websites influences their social life.
They spend more time in front of computers than with their friends. The relation with their friends changes. The virtual life becomes more important than their real life. They have a new language that they speak in the chat rooms and it causes cultural changes in society.
Because of the change in their behavior, they begin to isolate themselves from society and live with their virtual friends. They share their emotions and feelings with friends who they have never met in their life. Although they feel confident on the computer, they are not confident with real live friends they have known all their life. It is a problem for the future. This addictive behavior is beginning to affect all the world.
【小题1】.The main idea of the passage is about__________.
| A．the cause of weboholism | B．the advantage of weboholism |
| C．the popularity of weboholism | D．the effect of weboholism |
| A．weboholism has the greatest effect on teenagers |
| B．students can hardly balance real and virtual life |
| C．people are addicted to games on the Internet |
| D．virtual life is more vivid and attractive than real life. |
| A．It contributes to the development of the web. |
| B．The chat room language may change social culture. |
| C．The problem will be getting more and more serious later. |
| D．People addicted to the web often become inactive in real life. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
A newly-published study has shown that loneliness can spread from one person to another, like a disease. Researchers used information from the Framingham Study, which began in 1948. The Framingham Study gathers information about physical and mental health, personal behavior and diet. At first, the study involved about 5,000 people in the American state of Massachusetts. Now, more than 12,000 individuals are taking part.
Information from the Framingham Study showed earlier that happiness can spread from person to person. So can behaviors like littering and the ability to stop smoking.
University of Chicago psychologist John Cacioppo led the recent study. He and other researchers attempted to show how often people felt lonely. They found that the feeling of loneliness spread through social groups.
Having a social connection with a lonely person increased the chances that another individual would feel lonely. In fact, a friend of a lonely person was 52% more likely to develop feelings of loneliness. A friend of that person was 25% more likely. The researchers say this shows that a person could indirectly be affected by someone’s loneliness.
The effect was strongest among friends. Neighbors were the second most affected group. The effect was weaker on husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters. The researchers also found that loneliness spread more easily among women than men.
The New York Times newspaper reports that, on average, people experience feelings of loneliness about 48 days a year. It also found that every additional friend can decrease loneliness by about five percent, or two and a half fewer lonely days.
Loneliness has been linked to health problems like depression and sleeping difficulties. The researchers believe that knowing the causes of loneliness could help in reducing it.
The study suggests that people can take steps to stop the spread of loneliness. They can do this by helping individuals they know who may be experiencing loneliness. The result can be helpful to the whole social group.
【小题1】What is TRUE about the Framingham Study?
| A．It was only conducted in 1948. |
| B．It involves more than 12,000 participants. |
| C．It was led by John Cacioppo. |
| D．It showed that any behavior could spread. |
| A．The spreading effect was the second strongest among friends. |
| B．No spreading effect was found on husbands and wives. |
| C．Women are more likely to be affected than men. |
| D．Brothers are more easily affected than neighbors. |
| A．Actions should be taken to help lonely people. |
| B．People feel lonely for many reasons. |
| C．Ways to fight against loneliness. |
| D．Lonely people can affect others. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Mother’s Day is a holiday for mothers. It is celebrated(庆祝)in the United States, England, India and some other countries. In a short time, it becomes widely celebrated. Mother’s day falls on the second Sunday in May. On that day, many people send gifts(礼物)of love to their mothers.
Those whose mothers are still living often wear a pink or red rose or carnation(康乃馨)， while those whose mothers are dead wear a white one.
The idea of a day for mothers was first given by Miss Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia. As a result of her hard work, the celebration of the first American Mother’s Day was held in Philadelphia(费城） on May 10, 1908. Soon the holiday became popular all over the country and around the world.
In China, people do the same on the day for mothers. And, in some cities, people sometimes ask a song to be broadcast(广播) for his or her mother only. This might cost a little money for some of them, but, as it is said, “Love is invaluable.”
On May 8, 1999, just the day before the Mother’s Day that year, a Chinese mother was killed in criminal bombing(罪恶轰炸). Her name is Shao Yanhuan, a heroic mother. All the Chinese will remember her forever.
【小题1】 Mother’s Day .
| A．is a holiday for mothers |
| B．is celebrated in the United Stated only |
| C．falls on May 10 every year |
| D．was given by Miss Anna Jarvis |
| A．May 7. | B．May 8. | C．May 9. | D．May 10 |
| A．send some flowers to their mothers. |
| B．wear a pink or red rose or carnation |
| C．wear a white flower |
| D．send gifts of love to their mothers |
| A．美好的 | B．无价的 | C．永恒的 | D．无私的 |
| A．Shao Yunhuan is a heroic mother. |
| B．A Chinese mother is the same as an American mother. |
| C．The bombing cannot get away with the crime (难逃罪责). |
| D．All of the above |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Dr. Wiseman started the “laugh lab” project in September 2001. It is the largest study of humor. Participants are invited to log on the laugh lab website, give a few personal details, tell their favorite jokes and judge the jokes told by other people.
Their project will last for a year, and the organizers hope to finally discover the world’s funniest joke. But there is also a serious purpose. The researchers want to know what people from different nations and cultures find funny. And they want to find out the differences between male’s and female’s sense of humor. The idea is that if we want to understand each other, we have to find out what makes us laugh.
This is a subject that has long interested psychologists (心理学家) and philosophers (哲学家). Most of the time, people are not completely honest. We do things that society expects us to and say things that help us get what we want. But laughing cannot be controlled. When we laugh, we tell the truth about ourselves.
By December 2001 over 10,000 jokes had been submitted (公认的). This gave the scientists enough evidence to make early conclusions. It seems that men and women do have different senses of humor, for example.
“Our findings show the major differences in the ways in which males and females use humor,” said Dr Wiseman. “Males use humor to appear superior (高傲的，有优越感的) to others, while women are more skilled in languages and prefer word play.”
Researchers also found that there really is such a thing as a national sense of humor. The British enjoy what is usually called “toilet humor”. But the French like their jokes short and sharp, “You’re a high priced lawyer. Will you answer two questions for $ 500?” “Yes. What’s the second question?”
The Germans are famous for not having a sense of humor. But the survey found that German participants were more likely to find submitted jokes funny than any other nationality. Perhaps that proves the point. Is this joke funny? I don’t know, but let’s say yes, just to be safe.
Dr Wiseman and his workmates also submitted jokes created by computer. But none of those who took part in the survey found any of them amusing. Perhaps this is relief (安慰). Computers already seem like they can do everything. But at least they should leave the funny things to us.
【小题1】The scientist started the “laugh lab” project ________.
| A．to find the funniest joke in European countries |
| B．to know what funny people are from different nations and cultures |
| C．to find out the differences between the male’s and female’s sense of humor |
| D．to get more personal details about participants |
| A．to show that the French people have a better sense of humor |
| B．to prove the British people have a sense of “toilet humor” |
| C．to show people from different nations have different senses of humor |
| D．to prove that the Germans have no sense of humor |
| A．The jokes by computer are less funny than those by humans. |
| B．The Germans cannot find the submitted jokes amusing. |
| C．Males are better at word play compared with women. |
| D．Females like to use humor to show that they are superior. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Turns out we aren’t good at walking and talking at the same time, according to a study of pedestrians （行人） on their cell phones．
Nearly one-third of pedestrians （29．8% ） were distracted （分散注意力） by their mobile devices while crossing the street, say researchers of a study published online in the journal Injury Prevention．
Just as drivers who text, talk on cell phones, or adjust MP3 players increase their risk of losing control of their vehicles, pedestrians distracted by their conversations or their devices also put themselves at higher risk of getting into an accident．
During the summer of 2012, scientists in Seattle, Wash． , studied 1,102 pedestrians at 20 crossroads seeing the city * s highest number of pedestrian injuries over the past few years．
They watched how pedestrians crossed the street @ whether they looked both ways or obeyed the crossroad signal @ and also recorded how long it took pedestrians to do so．Distractions included listening to music with headphones, using a cell phone or earpiece to talk on a cell phone, text messaging, and talking with another person．
Overall, researchers found the most common distraction among pedestrians was listening to music （11．2%）, followed by text messaging （7．3%）, and using a handheld phone（6．2%）． But the most absorbing distraction was texting． Compared to pedestrians who were not distracted, those who were texting took 1．87 seconds longer to cross and were four times more likely to not look where they were going, disobey traffic lights, or cross outside of the crosswalk． While the study did not track injuries related to these trends, previous studies have linked such activities to a higher risk of being injured while crossing the street．
Combined with the rise in the use of mobile devices, especially smart phones, the results raise concerns that multi-tasking while walking may be a rising concern for pedestrians． And that danger may only climb, as the number of wireless devices has already exceeded the population of the United States． Last year, roughly 1,152 people wound up in the emergency room to treat injuries caused by using a cell phone or electronic device, the Consumer Product Safety Commission told the Associated Press in July． Those numbers may be underestimated, however, because patients may not always admit that they were using their phones along with other activities such as walking or driving when they were hurt．
【小题1】The scientists did their study at the 20 crossroads in order to _____．
| A．attract more attention | B．see more injuries |
| C．record more samples | D．find more pedestrians |
| A．talking on a phone | B．texting messages |
| C．listening to music | D．disobeying traffic lights |
| A．gone beyond | B．greatly influenced |
| C．accelerated the increase of | D．drawn the attention of |
| A．Walk and don't Talk |
| B．Prevention of Distraction |
| C．Look both ways while crossing the street |
| D．Cell phones lead to injuries |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：完型填空
The quality of drinking water in Shanghai will meet European Union standard by 2010 and, a decade later, citizens in Shanghai will drink the best water in the world.
These were the goals set out by the Shanghai Water Authority. With the city’s population expected to increase only slightly and the economy to boom by 2020, Chen Yin, and official with the water authority, said Shanghai’s water consumption will not increase from its present amount.
Zhang Yue, director of the Urban Construction Division under the Ministry of Construction, said, “Shanghai is the first city in the country to publicize these ambitions. They will not be easy to achieve.”
He said water saving will help keep the sustainable development of China’s economy.
Saving one cubic meter of water means saving the city’s infrastructure（基础设施）costs by 10,000 Yuan. Last year, Shanghai saved 300 million cubic meters of water either from readjustment of industrial structure or the employment of new technology.
“The aim is to arouse public awareness of the seriousness of water shortages,” Chen said. “The abundant surface water and amount of rain of the city are so misleading that they result in improper use of water.”
Shanghai lacks drinkable water. The Huangpu River, which supplies 80 percent of the city’s drinkable water, is nearing exhaustion.
The city, therefore, has been exploring new sources from the Yangtze River and growing forests along it to conserve quality water.
Besides penning regulations, the authority is popularizing technology among the public to efficiently cut the amount of water used.
At present, the city has 600，000 family toilets, each using 13 liters of water per flush. These are to be renovated（整修）to use only 9 liters of water per flush.
The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households – at a cost of 40 Yuan each.
In three years, all the toilets will be renovated, which saves the city nearly 15 million Yuan every year in water conservation.
Another task the city is engaged in is the treatment of sewage（污水）to improve the water environment.
At present the city can only treat 44 percent of its daily 5.04 million tons of waste water. To meet the total demand, 27 more sewage treatment factories are to be established with an estimated investment of 18 billion Yuan.
【小题1】People in Shanghai get their daily water mainly from now.
| A．the underground | B．the rain |
| C．the Yangtze River | D．the Huangpu River |
| A．the renovating of family toilets will save plenty of water |
| B．about half of waste water has been treated already |
| C．advanced technology makes people use water as much as possible |
| D．there is plenty surface water and large amount of rain at present |
| A．make people’s living more convenient |
| B．improve people’s living standards |
| C．ease employment pressure |
| D．meet the total demand of water |
| A．a, b, c, d | B．b, c, e, f | C．b, c, d, e | D．a, b, e, f |
| A．the boom of economy will need a larger amount of water in the future |
| B．citizens today in Shanghai drink the best quality of water in the world |
| C．not everyone today in Shanghai is aware of water shortage |
| D．all the family toilets will be renovated to save water within 3 years |
查看答案和解析>>
湖北省互联网违法和不良信息举报平台 | 网上有害信息举报专区 | 电信诈骗举报专区 | 涉历史虚无主义有害信息举报专区 | 涉企侵权举报专区
违法和不良信息举报电话：027-86699610 举报邮箱：58377363@163.com