One day an American called Simon went to London to visit his friend, Rick. Rick told him that his flat was on the first floor. When he arrived, Simon went straight to the first floor of the building. But he was told that there was no Rick on that floor. Do you know why?
In fact, the British call the first floor of a building the ground floor. The floor above the ground floor is the first floor, which Americans would call the second floor.
The story shows that there are a few culture differences between Britain and American, though the British and Americans both speak English.
The British usually hide their feelings. They seldom start a conversation with strangers. For example, on the train the British often spend their time reading newspapers or books. But Americans are quite different. They’re more active and easier to talk with.
The British and Americans may use different terms for many things. The British usually use football ,eraser and mail while Americans prefer to soccer, rubber and post.
【小题1】 Simon went to London to         .
A. spend his holiday     B. visit his friend C. study English
【小题2】Which picture shows us where Rick’s flat was?

【小题3】According to the passage, the British usually spend their time       on the train.
A. playing cards         B. talking loudly           C. doing some reading
【小题4】What does the underlined word “terms” mean in Chinese in the passage?
A. 成果                  B.术语                      C. 学期
【小题5】What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Different culture between Britain and America.
B. The British and Americans have the same language.
C. The British and Americans have different words.

One day an American called Simon went to London to visit his friend, Rick. Rick told him that his flat was on the first floor. When he arrived, Simon went straight to the first floor of the building. But he was told that there was no Rick on that floor. Do you know why?

In fact, the British call the first floor of a building the ground floor. The floor above the ground floor is the first floor, while Americans would call it the second floor.

The story shows that there are a few culture differences between Britain and America, though the British and Americans both speak English.

The British usually hide their feelings. They seldom start a conversation with strangers. For example, on the train the British often spend their time reading newspapers or books. But Americans are quite different. They’re more active and easier to talk with.

The British and Americans may use different terms for many things. The British usually use “football”, “eraser” and “mail” while Americans prefer to use “soccer”, “rubber” and “post”.

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。

1.Simon went to London to __________.

A．visit his friend      B．spend his holiday    C．study English       D．have a meeting

2.Which picture shows us where Rick’s flat was?

A              B             C               D

3.According to the passage, the British usually spend their time _______ on the train.

A．playing cards       B．talking            C．doing some reading  D．singing and dancing

4.What does the underlined word “term” mean in Chinese in the passage?

A．成果             B．学期             C．会议             D．用语

5.What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Differences in British and American culture   B．Simon’s funny story

C．Information abroad                      D．Hiding the feeling

 

When my family moved to America from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect(尊敬) elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.
I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive(敏感) Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.
In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.
However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire(退休) or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.
After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words.
【小题1】Jack brought the couple their food very fast because______.

A．the manager asked him to do so	B．he respected the elderly
C．the couple wanted him to do so	D．he wanted more pay

【小题2】In Jack’s hometown, ______.

A．people dislike being called “old”

B．people are proud of being old

C．many people reach the age of seventy or eighty

D．the elderly are the first to get food in restaurants

【小题3】 After this experience, Jack ______.

A．lost his job in the restaurant

B．made friends with the couple

C．no longer respected the elderly

D．changed his way with older people

【小题4】Which of the following is TRUE?

A．The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got.

B．Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience.

C．The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple.

D．From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture.

【小题5】Which is the best title for this passage?

A． Different countries, different customs	B． Old people, old customs
C． Different restaurants, different services	D． Differences between old and young