It’s really true what people say about English politeness: it’s everywhere. When squeezing past someone in a narrow aisle, people say “sorry”. When getting off a bus, English passengers say “thank you” rather than the driver. In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things. After all, squeezing past others is sometimes unavoidable, and the bus driver is only doing his job. I used to think the same way, without questioning it, until I started traveling to the British Isles and came to appreciate some more polite ways of interacting (交往) with people.

People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time. When people buy something in a shop, customers and retail assistants in most cases thank each other twice or more. In Germany, it would be exceptional to hear more than one “thank you” in such a conversation. British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room. English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs, as opposite to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough.

Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize others. Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me, my employers emphasized (强调) several times that none of their words were intended as criticism. It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable. This is also shown in other ways. British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men. However, I do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men! Yes, the latter (后者) are a bit tightfisted.

1.What is the author’s attitude towards English politeness?

A. He appreciates it.                    B. He gives no personal opinion.

C. He thinks it is unnecessary.             D. He thinks it goes too far.

2. What can we learn about customers and retail assistants in Germany?

    A. A customer never says thank you to a retail assistant.

    B. They may say thank you only once.

    C. It’s always a retail assistant who says thank you.

    D. They always say thank you to each other.

3.We can learn from the last paragraph that Scottish men __________.

    A. are not so willing to spend money for women

B. are more polite than English men

    C. treat women in an impolite way                  

D. are more likely to be involved in a fighting

4.The author develops the text through the method of ____________.

    A. giving reasons   B. telling stories  C. giving comments  D. making comparisons

I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on “two-hour business plans”. I separated them into six groups and gave them an example: a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I said. Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains. The sixth proposed a catering（饮食）service. Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment.
My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state owned enterprises and global companies. They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness. The scene I just described came in different forms during my two years’ teaching at the school. Papers were often copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates were written up and just memorized. Students frequently said that copying is a superior business strategy, better than inventing and creating.
In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold. But so few well developed marketing and management minds have been raised that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand.
With this problem in mind, partnerships with institutions like Yale and MIT have been established. And then there’s the “thousand talent scheme”: this new government program is intended to improve technological modernization by attracting top foreign trained scientists to the mainland with big money. But there are worries about China’s research environment. It’s hardly known for producing independent thinking and openness, and even big salary offers may not be attractive enough to overcome this.
At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about setting up partnerships with top Western universities. Nor is it about gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think creatively. It’s about establishing a rich learning environment for young minds. It’s not that simple.
【小题1】Why does the author feel disappointed at his students?

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第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I moved to this area seven years ago. For years I have had noisy neighbors. Ever since I moved into this flat, I’ve had to put up with noise during the night. I decided I’d had enough and I’ve been looking for a new flat since the beginning of the year. I haven’t found anything till now. Every week I go to the estate agent’s（当地房地产代理人的）office, but it’s the same story. “I might have something by the end of the week” he says, or, “Wait till next week. I think I might have a few flats by then.” I’ve seen a few flats during my search, but I don’t like any of them. One flat I saw has been empty for two years. “It’s got a busy road on one side and a railway on the other!” I said loudly, “I want peace and quiet.” Last week I visited the agent again. “I won’t leave till you show me something,” I said. “I’ve got just the flat for you.” I went to see it and I was frightened. “But it’s next to a cemetery!” I cried. “But you won’t have noisy neighbors,” my agent said. “It’s exactly right for peace and quiet!”
56．The writer has had to bear the noise in this area for             years.
A．about seven      B．six    C．nine  D．four
57．The writer decided to move away because            .
A．he had been looking for a new flat
B．his neighbors were not friendly
C．he could no longer stand the noise
D．he wanted to sell his old flat
58．Which of the following is NOT true?
A．The writer would like a quiet place to live in.
B．The agent didn’t want to help the writer at all.
C．The writer has seen several flats already.
D．It seemed rather difficult to rind a right flat.
59．The main idea of the passage is         .
A．how the agent tried to help the writer find a flat
B．why the writer was satisfied with the agent’s service
C．how difficult it was to find a new flat
D．you can depend on the estate agents for a nice flat

— Have you been to the Great Wall?

   —Perhaps not in my memory. ________, it might have been during my early childhood.

  A. If any            B. If so            C. If ever            D. If not

Vocabulary 单词拼写

根据首字母和中文意思填写单词

1. All of us have been a_____________ (知道的，明白的)that ads play an important role in our daily life.

2. Some commercial ads don’t tell the truth, so be s_____________ (聪明的，精明的)about them.

3. Many young people like his songs, that is to say, his songs a_____________ (迎合，有吸引力)to young people.

4. They held a party in h_______________ (荣誉，光荣)of the model workers.

5. He was our l_______________ (主导的，主要的)goal scorer last season.

6. Harry Potter is a e_______________ (非凡的，特别的)role in the series of JK ‘s novels.

7. I shall never forget the i______________ (印象)l have gathered during my trip.

8. In most of the people’s opinions, money can’t buy h_______________.(幸福)

9. It’s quite c_________________ for us to live near the station.(方便的，便利的)

10. In the new production, I will play the r___________ (角色) of a policeman.