In Europe people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right throughout the meal, a system that is generally agreed to be more efficient than the American zigzag（曲折的）method. Americans hold both the fork and the knife in their right hands throughout the meal, so they continually change their forks to the left hand when they have to cut their meat. It seems to be funny for the Europeans to see Americans busy changing their dinner sets, making a lot of noises. A few explanations for this American style are as follows:?

(1)Americans are practical and efficient. Since most of us are right-handed, it is reasonable to keep our working tools at all times in the right hand that can use them most efficiently.?

(2)Americans, the master of the New World are rebels（叛逆者）.They use the zigzag method to break the rules in the Old World and in this way they are thumbing their nose at Mother England. Americans are a restless kind. They do not like to sit in one spot for very long when dining.

(3)Forced to do so, they respond by “playing” with the silver.?

Whatever the reason for the practice, it is now certainly as American as apple pie. Europeans recognize this and are quick to attack it as evidence of American innocence（无知）of form. Arguments against the zigzag method rest not only on grounds of efficiency but also on those of tradition. In Old World dining, the knife is held in the right hand continually because it can serve as an instant defense against the uninvited intruders（入侵者）.However, such alertness（警觉） is out of place in the New World, as every American believes that this is the home of the brave. Americans juggle their silverware, perhaps, to show that they are not afraid and that one of them holding a fork is worth any number of them holding blades（刀）.?

Americans use _______ to hold their fork to pick up the salad.?

A. the right hand    B. the left hand?

C. both hands  D. either of the two hands?

As the masters of the New World, Americans use a different cutting method from that in the Old World to _______.?

A. show their independence of Mother England?

B. show their disrespect to Mother England?

C. add a new tradition to those in Mother England?

D. show off their creativeness to Mother England?

In the sentence, the word “juggle” probably means _______.?

A. hold   B. play with　　　C. pick up      D. lay down?

Which of the following statements is NOT true??

A. European people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right hand.

B. The zigzag eating method is related to American characteristics.?

C. The zigzag eating method has become an American feature.?

D. European people will use the American method because of its efficiency.

Ever since news of widespread food recalls caused by a carcinogenic dye broke, there has been confusion（混淆） over possible links to the country of the same name, but Sudan officials say there is no connection whatever．

Sudan 1 is a red industrial dye（颜料） that has been found in some chilli powder, but was banned in food products across the European Union (EU) in July 2003．

Since the ban was put in place, EU officials have been trying to remove some food products from the shelves．So far 580 products have been recalled．

Last week Sudan’s Embassy in the United Kingdom asked the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for clarification(澄清) of the origin of the dye’s name．

Omaima Mahmoud Al Sharief, a press official at Sudan’s Embassy in China, explained the purpose of the inquiry was to clear up any misunderstanding over links between the country and the poisonous dye．

　　"We want to keep an eye on every detail and avoid any misunderstanding there," she said．"Our embassy to Britain asked them how the dye got that name and whether the dye had something to do with our country．But they told us there was no relationship．"

The FSA, an independent food security watchdog in Britain, received a letter from the Sudanese embassy last week．

　"They asked us why the dye is named Sudan, however, we also do not know how it got the name," she said．"People found the dye in 1883 and gave it the name．Nobody knows the reason, and we cannot give any explanation before we find out．"

Sudan dyes, which include Sudan 1 to 4, are red dyesused for colouring oils, waxes, petrol, and shoe and floor polishes．They are classified as carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer．

1.What does the underlined word “carcinogenic” mean in paragraph one?

A．Causing cancer．                       B．Having side effect．

C．Containing poison．                     D．Poisonous．

2.How did the Sudan 1 get its name?

A．The dye is often produced in Sudan．

B．The dye has something to do with the country named Sudan．

C．Nobody is sure of the origin of the name．

D．Many foods produced in Sudan contain the dye．

3.We can infer from the passage that．

A．the Sudan government is paying much attention to the food safety

B．Sudan 1 is often used to be added to the food

C．people didn’t realize the danger of Sudan1 until 2003

D．many food shops will be closed down

4.Which of the following is the best title?

A．Keep away from Sudan1

B．No Sudan 1 dye links to the country

C．How Sudan1 dye got its name?

D．Pay attention to the food safety

 

 

Britain and France are separated by the English Channel, a body of water that can be crossed in as few as 20 minutes. But the cultures of the two countries sometimes seem to be miles apart.

　　Last Thursday Britain and France celebrated the 100th anniversary(周年纪念) of the signing of a friendship agreement called the Entente Cordiality. The agreement—signed in London on April 8, 1904—marked a new beginning for the countries following centuries of wars and love-hate partnership.

　　But their relationship has been ups and downs over the past century. Just last year, there were fierce disagreements over the Iraq war—which British Prime Minister Tony Blair supported despite(不管, 尽管) French President Jacques Chirac speaking out against it. This discomfort is expressed in Blair and Chirac's body language at international meetings. While the French leader often greets German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder with a hug (拥抱), Blair just receives a handshake.

However, some political experts say the war in Iraq could in fact have helped ties. “The British population was against war, ” said Francois Heisbourg, director of the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research(战略基金研究会). “So it could have actually helped bring the two sides closer. ”

　　The history of divisions(分割, 区分) may well be because of the very different ways in which the two sides see the world. “The French think Britain is not doing its best to become part of Europe by not introducing the single European currency(货币), ” said Geoff Hare, a former lecturer in French politics and language at Newcastle University in Britain. “France has spent the past 15 to 20 years making itself seen as part of the European Union. ”

　 But this doesn't stop 12 million Britons taking holidays in France each year. However,only 3 million French come in the opposite direction. Surveys show that most French people feel closer to the Germans than they do to the British. And the research carried out in Britain has found that only a third of the population believes the French can be trusted.Perhaps this bad feeling comes because the British dislike France's close relationship with Germany. Or because the French are not happy with Britain's close links with the US.

　　Whatever the answer is, as both sides celebrate 100 years of “doubtful friendship”, they are at least able to make jokes about each other. Here's one:What's the best thing about Britain's relationship with France? The English Channel.

1. For centuries, the relationship between England and France is______.

A. friendly

B. impolite

C. brotherly

D. a mixture of love and hate

2. The war in Iraq does ______ to the relationship between France and England.

A. good

B. harm

C. neither good nor harm

D. both good and harm

3. The British are not so friendly to ______ and the French are not so friendly to ______.

A. Germany;America

B. America;Germany

C. Germany;Germany too

D. America;America too

4. What does the last sentence mean?

A. As long as the English Channel exists, no further disagreement will form between France and Britain.

B. The English Channel can prevent anything unfriendly happening in both France and Britain.

C. France and Britain are near neighbors, and this will help balance the relationship between them.

D. The English Channel is the largest enemy between France and Britain.

5. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. The British differ greatly from the French in culture, origin and custom.

B. The British and The French are against each other because of the very different ways in which they see the world.

C. The celebration of the 100th anniversary of the signing of a friendship agreement mark-ed the mixture feeling of love and hatred over the last century between Britain and Franc-e.

D. The British dislike France's close relationship with Germany, while the French are not happy with Britain's close links with the US.     

 

The rise of multinational corporations （跨国公司）, global marketing, new communications technologies, and shrinking cultural differences have led to an unparalleled increase in global public relations or PR．

　　Surprisingly, since modern PR was largely an American invention, America’s relations is being threatened by PR efforts in other countries. Ten years ago, for example, the world’s top five public relations agencies were American-owned． In 1991, only one was． The British in particular are becoming more sophisticated and creative． A recent survey found that more than half of all British companies include PR as part of their corporate （公司的） planning activities, compared to about one-third of U.S. companies．It may not be long before London replaces New York as the capital of PR．

　　Why is America lagging behind in the global PR race? Firstly, Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs． Knowledge of world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country． Secondly, Americans lag behind their European and Asian counterparts （相对应的人） in knowing a second language． Less than 5 percent of Burson—Marshall’s U．S．employees know two languages． Ogilvy and Mather have about the same percentage． Conversely, some European firms have half or more of their employees fluent in a second language． Finally, people involved in PR abroad tend to keep a closer eye on international affairs． In the financial PR area, for instance, most Americans read the Wall Street Journal． Overseas, their counterparts read the Journal as well as the Financial Times of London and The Economist, publications not often read in this country．

Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of CNN （Cable News Network）． Turner recently announced that the word “foreign” would no longer be used on CNN news

broadcasts. According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so interdependent that there is no longer any such thing as foreign．

1.Compared with the American PR personnel, what is/are an advantage (s) of the non-Americans involved in PR?

A． They tend to be more internationally minded

B． They speak more and better foreign languages．

C． They usually pay more attention to global financial situation．

D． Both A and B．

2.What is the immediate cause of the downfall of America’s public relations?

A．The number of US public relations agencies had greatly decreased by 1991．

B．Other countries have increased their efforts in public relations．

C．On the global scale, cultural differences have significantly shrunk．

D．The British companies are becoming especially sophisticated and creative in public relations．

3.It could be inferred that the author of the passage is______．

A．an American       B．a Briton           C．Ted Turner         D．an Asian

4.The underlined word “provincial” in paragraph 3 could possibly mean “      ”．

A．strict in thinking                        B．like people from rural areas

C．limited in outlook                       D．interested in geographical knowledge

 

请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。

注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填1个单词。

Living in a foreign country is fun but it isn’t always easy. There are many differences between cultures and although some of these differences are unimportant, some can cause a lot of embarrassment. In addition to the obvious language problems of living in a foreign country, I certainly experienced culture shock when I was living in Paris. I know I’m not the only one so I spoke to a few foreign friends about how they experienced culture shock in China.

   Aubin arrived two months ago from Europe to take part in a language programme in Shanghai. Before he left, he was actually taught the differences between European and Chinese Cultures, including everything from table manners to classroom behavior. However, some things have still taken him by surprise. For example, he couldn’t understand why waiters did not want to accept the tips he gave them after meals in restaurants. He said that in Europe waiters got angry if you didn’t leave them a tip! I had to explain to him that people don’t usually tip in China and that this comes from the Confucian idea that one must avoid accepting any undue income.

   Another friend, Julia, came to Guangzhou from London to teach at a language school. After a month, she told me that she was really let down by her students. I asked her why and she told me that they were so quiet that she was the only person talking in class and it felt like the children were being respectful but she said it would be more respectful if they answered her questions. I think we should be proud of the Chinese tradition that stresses politeness but I do think Julia has a good point.

   And it is not only the West and the East that have cultural differences. Even Korea and China, two countries that are very close to each other, have differences too. “I thought Chinese and Korean people were the same,” said my friend Ji-Hyun in perfect Chinese, “but I was wrong . In ancient times the Chinese used to take their shoes off. They don’t do that any more, but Korean people still do! I keep getting that wrong even though I’ve been here for five years!”

   Luckily, whether we take our shoes off or not, or leave unnecessary tips, the world still runs perfectly. In my opinion, cultural differences should simply be seen as a way of making life interesting. Imagine how boring it would be if we all did everything exactly the same way! Learning to understand and respect differences is, after all, what life is all about.　　

Title	Living with Differences
Theme	One problem of living abroad is to experience cultural    71    .
Experiences and reasons	Waiters    72     to accept tips under the    73    of the Confucian idea.
	Students are    74    in class because they are    75    to teachers.
	Chinese don’t    76     their shoes as they    77    to.
Right    78     to cultural differences	Learn to understand and    79     them.
	80     of them as fun in life.