13.A simple flower made headlines (头条新闻) in the British press last week.How could that be?British Prime Minister David Cameron and his ministers were attending a reception hosted by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.They insisted on wearing poppies (罂粟花) in their buttonholes.
What's wrong with that?
According to the Global Times,Chinese officials clearly had asked the UK delegation(代表团)not to wear poppies.The British said that poppies meant a great deal to them on that day and they would wear them all the same.
So what's the importance of the poppy?It's a flower which has different cultural and symbolic meanings for British and Chinese people.
From the Chinese point of view,the poppy is a symbol of China's humiliation at the hands of European powers in the Opium Wars of the 19th century.Britain forced China to open the borders to trade-including in the opium-which was made from poppies grown in India.
Yet from the British viewpoint the poppy is a reminder of the killing during World War I.Red poppies grew on the battlefields of Flanders in Belgium where many thousands of British soldiers died or were buried.Since then,Poppy Day (November 11)has become a time in the UK to wear poppies and remember the sacrifices of British soldiers and civilians in times of war.
So you can see that the poppy sets off strong feelings in the hearts of Chinese and British people for different reasons.And it makes sense for us to try to understand each other's standpoint (立场).Of course cultural differences can also be interesting and funny.And what one nation thinks is an acceptable gift may be viewed differently by their guest from overseas.US President Barack Obama gave a gift of an iPod to Britain's Queen-a dull person with no interest in music.Obama also presented Gordon Brown with a fine selection of American movies.But they were in US format(模式)and impossible to play on British DVD players.
Many countries have diploma (外交官) stationed overseas.Diplomats provide information and advice to their governments back home.However,sometimes it would seem that even diplomats can overlook(忽视)the cultural importance of a small flower.
25.Why did the British insist on wearing poppies in their buttonholes?D
A.The poppy is a symbol of China's humiliation.
B.Poppies were grown in India.
C.Red poppies grew on the battlefields of Flanders in Belgium.
D.In memory of those people sacrificing in times of war.
26.British Prime Minister David Cameron probably attended a reception in Beijing inD.
A.October
B.January
C.December
D. November
27.The diplomatic (外交的) problems mentioned in last but one paragraph are mainly caused byB.
A.the different lifestyle
B.the cultural difference
C.the translation mistake
D.the language difference
28.We can infer thatA.
A.Britain's Queen may not like the iPod US President Barack Obama gave her.
B.Gordon Brown was fond of American movies US President Barack Obama sent him
C.US President Barack Obama received a gift for music
D. Britain's Queen is not interested in any gifts given by Americans.
分析 一束小花竟引起了外交争端.作者认为是文化差异导致了这起外交事件.
解答 D DBA
25.D 细节理解题 根据Yet from the British viewpoint the poppy is a reminder of the killing during World War I.可知英国人佩戴罂粟花是为了纪念战争中牺牲的人们,故答案为D
26.D 推理判断题.根据第四段第二句The British said that poppies meant a great deal to them on that day and they would wear them all the same及第七段第三句中的Since then,Poppy Day (November 11)has become a time in the UK to wear poppies可以判断这天应该是Poppy Day,即11月11日.
27.B 细节理解题.根据第五段第二句It's a flower which has different cultural and symbolic meanings for British and Chinese people.可知主要是文化差异导致了这次外交事件.文章最后一段也是答案提示.
28.A 推理判断题.根据倒数第二段第二、三句可以判断英国女王可能不太喜欢美国总统奥巴马送的iPod.
点评 阅读理解题测试考生在阅读基础上的逻辑推理能力,要求考生根据文章所述事件的逻辑关系,对未说明的趋势或结局作出合理的推断;或根据作者所阐述的观点理论,对文章未涉及的现象、事例给以解释.考生首先要仔细阅读短文,完整了解信息,准确把握作者观点.