14.Present or Future?
Americans are future-minded.They really live in the future.The present is just a way station. This enthusiasm for the future is really not shared even by all European countries.The French are known to be present-minded while the British are often called past-minded.For Japanese Zen followers,time is like a pool of water.Things just happen.There is no past,present or future.Egyptians are well known for their past mindedness.
I did not grow up with a telephone.So the Yellow Pages were something brand new for me when I first arrived in the U.S..I still had the habit of going to a store only to find out that it didn't have what I needed.My wife used to ask,"Didn't you call before going there?"The concept of calling ahead of time requires planning and a future mind,while my upbringing was in a present-minded culture.
One thing my nuclear family enjoys when my mom visits is her cooking.So normally I ask my mom a couple of days in advance what things she needs for the upcoming meals.She is always sure that she has everything.The truth is that many times,in the middle of cooking,she will ask for items we don't have.That shows a present mind.You deal with it when you get there instead of doing advanced planning.
Listening to weather forecasts and then living your life accordingly is a sign of a future mind. Normally,when I get to work and see everyone walking around with their umbrellas,I figure that it will rain today.Here people are trained from their childhood to figure out at least that day's expected weather before leaving the house.I am normally missing my umbrella because it was not raining and the sky did not have dark clouds.Here my present mind gets me wetevery time.
Mainstream Americans have put inside themselves the clock to a degree which is beyond the comprehension of many cultures across the globe.So the annoyance many Americans face when working with people from other cultures is understandable.In today's dialogue,building the bridge to the 21st century may turn out to be easier than building bridges with other cultures,which may appear to be so foreign.However,they are vital partners for our interdependent life on this planet.
60.The author was most likely born inB.
A.America B.France C.Britain D.Egypt
61.Which is true about the author?A
A.He was more future-minded than his mother.
B.He received most of his education in Japan.
C.He learned to check the weather before going out.
D.He disliked calling the store before going shopping.
62.What's the main idea of the last paragraph?D
A.Americans value time more than any other culture.
B.Americans should be understood by other cultures.
C.Communication between cultures is easier than before.
D.Harmony should be achieved despite cultural differences.
分析 作者通过讲述尽管建立跨文化的桥梁比建立通往21世纪的桥梁还要难,但是我们还是应该理解要理解不同文化的差异并且和谐相处.
解答 BAD
60 B 细节题.由第一段第四句"The French are known to be present-minded while the British are often called past-minded."和第二段最后一句"The concept of calling ahead of time requires planning and a future mind,while my upbringing was in a present-minded culture."可知作者是在那种"着眼当下"的文化中长大的,并且法国人就总是着眼当下,由此可推断作者是一个法国人,故正确答案为B.
61 A 细节题.由第三段第二句"So normally I ask my mom a couple of days in advance what things she needs for the upcoming meals."可知作者与自己的母亲相比显得更放眼未来,所以A项正确.B项,文中没有相关内容,所以B项错误.C项,由第四段第二句"Normally,when I get to work and see everyone walking around with their umbrellas,I figure that it will rain today."可知C项错误.D项,文中没有相关内容,所以D项错误.故正确答案为A.
62 D 主旨题.由最后一段最后两句"In today's dialogue,building the bridge to the 21st century may turn out to be easier than building bridges with other cultures,which may appear to be so foreign.However,they are vital partners for our interdependent life on this planet."可知作者认为尽管建立跨文化的桥梁比建立通往21世纪的桥梁还要难,我们还是应该理解不同的文化,因为对于这个星球来说这很重要.由此可推断作者写最后一段是想告诉人们要理解不同文化的差异并且和谐相处,故正确答案为D.
点评 考察学生的细节理解和推理判断能力,做细节理解题时一定要找到文章中的原句,和题干进行比较,再做出正确的选择.在做推理判断题不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实,要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断.