At a psychology conference in England years ago, a woman said to me: “I’ll knock you up in the morning.” I was taken aback by her strange suggestion, but it occurred to me that I might not have understood what she really meant. As it turned out, what she had meant was, “I’ll knock on your door in the morning so that we can meet for breakfast to discuss the panel we’re on.”
This example of the difference in the meaning of “knock you up” in British and American English shows the complicated situations that can result from cultural misunderstandings. A cultural misunderstanding occurs when something — a word, gesture, object, social context, or almost anything you can think of — has a different meaning in two cultures. Sometimes the misunderstandings get resolved, sometimes they lead nowhere, and sometimes they can become the starting point of something much more extreme, from love to war.
Race is one area where cultural misunderstandings are common. We Americans tend to assume that racial categories are biological rather than social, so it may not occur to us that people from other cultures have a different set of racial concepts and classify themselves and us differently. Some African Americans complain that certain immigrants from other countries, such as Haiti or Jamaica, “act as if they aren’t black.” The cultural misunderstanding is that, in the immigrants’ countries of origin, they would never describe themselves as “black”. This doesn’t mean that they think they are white. It just means that their cultures have more categories, like marabou or grimaud in Haiti, or fair or brown in Jamaica, than are used in the United States. Meanwhile, white people in America, unaware of this cultural diversity, sometimes refer to all darker-skinned people as “black” without realizing that an issue exists.
Resolving cultural misunderstandings can clear the air or even lead to laughter. Sometimes, though, when it comes to race, unidentified cultural misunderstandings can create tension, unhappiness and distrust.
【小题1】The main purpose of the first paragraph is to       .

MIANYANG—At a corner of the city’s Jiuzhou Stadium, one of the biggest camps set up for those left homeless in the earthquake, 62-year-old Liu Yaorong was leaning against a window on Thursday.
Pointing to a quilt and clothes he received from the local government, he said: “These are all I have. My home collapsed in the quake, and everything in the town was flooded.”
He used to live in Xuanping town of Beichuan county which was destroyed by the quake. Adding to his misery, rivers blocked by landslides(山崩) led to flooding in the town.
But Liu said he was lucky because he was healthy, otherwise he would not have the energy to walk 10 hours on damaged and dangerous mountainous roads to escape the flood on Monday. He said the trip used to take him about 90 minutes when the roads were in good condition.
The journey was difficult and “rocks kept falling,” he said, showing injured legs and black, split toenails.
Liu said his three sons were working in eastern cities as migrant workers.
“I’ve been living alone in the mountains for more than 20 years. My wife died 30 years ago,” he said in a low voice.
During his journey to Mianyang, Liu said he saw many elderly people who chose to stay.
“Soldiers were persuading them to leave for fear of floods,” he said.
Talking about his home before the quake struck, Liu’s mood lifted. “I raised pigs and chickens, and grew vegetables. I could have rice, meat and greens almost every day,” he said.
“But now, I have only biscuits and instant noodles.”
Liu said one of his sons returned home from Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, after the quake, but left because the father refused to go with him.
“I don’t want to leave home. And I know it is difficult for them out there. How could I add to their burden?” he asked, his eyes red.
“I still want to go back to my home. Given a small piece of land, I could live by myself.”
It is learnt that resettlement plans for displaced people have not been finalized.
However, not every elderly person is as strong-willed as Liu.
Psychologists said the elderly need as much comfort as children. Lu Jianguo, a psychologist from Chengdu Medical College, said “We will first let them cry and tell their stories, and then help them regain confidence.”
【小题1】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

MIANYANG—At a corner of the city’s Jiuzhou Stadium, one of the biggest camps set up for those left homeless in the earthquake, 62-year-old Liu Yaorong was leaning against a window on Thursday.

Pointing to a quilt and clothes he received from the local government, he said: “These are all I have. My home collapsed in the quake, and everything in the town was flooded.”

He used to live in Xuanping town of Beichuan county which was destroyed by the quake. Adding to his misery, rivers blocked by landslides(山崩) led to flooding in the town.

But Liu said he was lucky because he was healthy, otherwise he would not have the energy to walk 10 hours on damaged and dangerous mountainous roads to escape the flood on Monday. He said the trip used to take him about 90 minutes when the roads were in good condition.

The journey was difficult and “rocks kept falling,” he said, showing injured legs and black, split toenails.

Liu said his three sons were working in eastern cities as migrant workers.

“I’ve been living alone in the mountains for more than 20 years. My wife died 30 years ago,” he said in a low voice.

During his journey to Mianyang, Liu said he saw many elderly people who chose to stay.

“Soldiers were persuading them to leave for fear of floods,” he said.

Talking about his home before the quake struck, Liu’s mood lifted. “I raised pigs and chickens, and grew vegetables. I could have rice, meat and greens almost every day,” he said.

“But now, I have only biscuits and instant noodles.”

Liu said one of his sons returned home from Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, after the quake, but left because the father refused to go with him.

“I don’t want to leave home. And I know it is difficult for them out there. How could I add to their burden?” he asked, his eyes red.

“I still want to go back to my home. Given a small piece of land, I could live by myself.”

It is learnt that resettlement plans for displaced people have not been finalized.

However, not every elderly person is as strong-willed as Liu.

Psychologists said the elderly need as much comfort as children. Lu Jianguo, a psychologist from Chengdu Medical College, said “We will first let them cry and tell their stories, and then help them regain confidence.”

1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

2.The underlined word “ misery  ”in the third paragraph most probably means “      ”.

3.What’s Liu Yaorong’s attitude towards self-relief after the earthquake?

4. What would be the best title for the news report?

A man was driving at 70 miles in a 40-mile zone（区域）, when a   36  came behind him. Right away the man started thinking of   37  to give.
As the policeman came to him, he said, “Hi, officer, I guess you   38  me a little bit over the speed limit（限制）. I was in a rush to get   39  , to be with my wife and kids. You know my younger son wasn’t feeling too   40  when I left home this morning. I’m afraid he’s ill.”
The policeman said, “Well, I guess so,” and started   41  something in his notebook. As minutes went by, he could see from the side view mirror, the policeman was   42  writing. When the man was wondering why he hadn’t asked for his driving   43  so far, the policeman came to his window,   44  him a piece of paper, and returned to his car without saying a single word. The man wondered: how much was this   45   going to be? However, the man was   46  it was not a ticket at all and he began to   47  :
“I had a daughter who was   48  by a speeding car at the age of six by a speeding driver. He got a fine, a few months in   49  , and then was free, free to hug（拥抱） his two daughters. I only had one, and now I have to   50  until I get to heaven before I can hug her again. I have tried to   51  that man a thousand times, and I thought I had. Maybe I really did forgive (原谅) him. So pray (祈祷) for me, and be  52  when you drive again. My son is all I have been left with.”
The man was completely   53  and could not move for the next few minutes. When finally he did, he drove   54 , even a few miles   55  the speed limit, praying for forgiveness.

【小题11】

A．excited B．upset C．angry D．surprised

A man was driving at 70 miles in a 40-mile-zone, when a police car came behind him with the light on.【小题1】  
As the policeman came to him, he said, "Hi, officer, I guess you caught me a little bit over the limit. I was in a rush to get home, to be with my wife and kids, you know my younger son wasn't feeling too well when I left home this morning."
The policeman said, "Well, I guess so,'' and started writing something in his notebook.【小题2】 . A few moments later, the policeman came to his window and handed him a paper, and returned to his car without saying a single word. The man started to wonder, how much this ticket was going to be as he began to look at the paper.     【小题3】    
"I had a daughter who was killed by a speeding car at the age of six, by a speeding driver like you. He got a fine, a few months in prison, and was free, free to hug two other daughters. 【小题4】   I have tried to forgive that man a thousand times, and I thought I had. Maybe I really did forgive him, but I have to do it again, even right now.  【小题5】   "
The man was very surprised and could not move for the next few minutes. When finally he did, he drove slowly, even a few miles under the speed limit, praying for forgiveness.