Destiny and Personal Responsibility

One important variable affecting communication across cultures is destiny（命运）and personal responsibility. This refers to the degree to which we feel ourselves the masters of our lives, contrary to the degree to which we see ourselves as subject to things outside our control. Another way to look at this is to ask how much we see ourselves able to change and act, to choose the course of our lives and relationships. Some have drawn a parallel between the personal responsibility in North American settings and the view itself. The North American view is vast, with large spaces of unpopulated land. The frontier attitude of “King” of the wilderness, and the expansiveness of the land reaching huge distances, may relate to generally high levels of confidence in the ability to shape and choose our destinies.

In this expansive land, many children grow up with a heroic sense of life, where ideas are big, and hope springs forever. When they experience temporary failures, they encouraged to redouble their efforts, to “try, try again.” Action, efficiency（效率）, and achievement are valued and expected. Free will is respected in laws and enforced by courts.

Now consider places in the world with much smaller land, whose history reflects wars and tough struggles: Northern Ireland, Mexico, Israel, Palestine. In these places, destiny’s role is more important in human life. In Mexico, there is a history of hard life, fighting over land, and loss of homes. Mexicans are more likely to see struggles as part of their life and unavoidable. Their passive attitude is expr4essed in their way of responding to failure or accident by saying “ni modo”(“no way” or “tough lick”), meaning that the failure was destined.

This variable is important to understanding cultural conflict. If someone believing in free will crosses paths with someone more passive, miscommunication is likely. The first person may expect action and accountability. Failing to see it, he may conclude that the second is lazy, not cooperative, or dishonest. The second person will expect respect for the natural order of thins. Failing to see it, he may conclude that the first is forcible, rude, or big headed in his ideas of what can be accomplished or changed.

1.The author thinks that one’s character is partly determined by         .

    A．physical senses                      B．general attitude

    C．financial background                 D．geographic characteristics

2.According to the passage, Mexicans would think that Americans are         .

    A．impractical      B．dishonest        C．ambitious        D．hesitant

3.The underlined word “subject” in Paragraph 1 probably means       .

    A．a topic of a discussion              B．a branch of knowledge

    C．a person being experimented on       D．a person under the power of others

4.The author would probably agree that         .

    A．vast land may lead to a more controllable desire

    B．heroic sense of life roots deeply in a small country

    C．living in limited space contributes to an accepting attitude

    D．fighting over land may help people gain high levels of confidence

In time of war, different parties tend to ______ their political differences to fight against foreign invaders shoulder to shoulder.

A. pick up                        B. relate to                      C. set aside                    D. give away

     Researchers are placing robotic dogs (机器狗) in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people’s depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction. “No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated (刺激) ,” Edwards points out. “The problem is how we promote(使……成为现实)that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution.”

    In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect baseline data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.

    “I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady.“When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has a mind of his own.”

     The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.

    “At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry,” Beck says. “But it’s amazing how quickly we have given up that belief.

   “Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people’s minds.”

48. The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to ______

    A. understand human-animal relationship       B. make lonely old people’s life better

    C. find the causes of old people’s loneliness    D. promote the animal-assisted research

49. In the research, the old people are asked to ______

    A. note the activities of AIBOs                      B. keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks

    C. record their feelings and activity               D. analyze the collected information

50. What is the advantage of AIBO over live dogs?

    A. It is easier to keep at home.                      B. It can help the disabled people.

    C. It responds to all the human orders.           D. It can watch TV with its owner.

51. The author seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may ______

    A. cure certain diseases                                B. keep old people active

    C. change people’s beliefs                             D. look more like real dogs

CHICAGO （Reuters） - Smoking not only can wrinkle （起皱纹） the face and tarn it yellow—it can do the same to the whole body, researchers reported on Monday．

The study, published in the Archives of Dermatology, shows that smoking affects the skin all over the body—even skin protected from the sun．

"We examined non - facial skin that was protected from the sun, and found that the total number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day and the total years a person has smoked were linked with the amount of skin damage a person experienced," Dr．Yolanda Helfrich of the University of Michigan, who led the study, said in a statement．

"In participants older than 65 years, smokers had significantly more fine wrinkling than nonsmokers．Similar findings were seen in participants aged 45 to 65 years," Helfrich "s team added in their report．

The researchers tested 82 people, smokers and nonsmokers, taking pictures of the inner right arms． They ranged, in age from 22 to 91 and half were smokers．Independent judges decided how wrinkled each person' s skin was．

When skin is exposed to sunlight, notably the face, it becomes coarse, wrinkled and discolored with a pale yellow tint, Helfrich ' s team wrote．

Several previous studies have found that cigarette smoking contributes to premature（过早的）skin aging as measured by facial wrinkles, the study said, but little has been done to measure the aging of skin not exposed to light．

The report did not discuss die mechanism involved but previous research has found that cigarette smoke, among other things, causes blood vessels （血管） beneath the skin to constrict （紧缩）, reducing blood supply to the skin．

Smoking can also damage the connective tissue that supports both die skin and the internal organs,．

When your skin is exposed to sunlight long, it-becomes all of the following but _____．

    A．flexible     B．coarse           C．rough        D．discolored

How wrinkled a person's skin is doesn't relate to _____．

    A．the number of cigarettes a person smokes．    

    B．the kind and characteristics of skin

    C．how long a person smokes              

    D．how long skin is under sunlight

From the passage smoking results in skin aging mainly because _____.

    A．it will lower blood supply to skin                  

    B．it can make you feel tired

    C．it can make skin come off                       

    D．it can make blood run faster

The main purpose of the passage is to _____．

    A．inform people about the result of the study         

    B．advise people how to protect skin

    C．warn people not to smoke again                  

    D．introduce a new way of avoid skin aging

Bright red post boxes, the Queen and queuing—what do they all have in common? They are all important parts of British life. At least I thought so.

     However, the ability to queue for long periods of time, once believed to be a traditional characteristic of the British, is no longer tolerated by people in the UK, according to a survey done for British bank Barclays.

     Once upon a time, queuing was seen as normal. During World WarⅡ, everyone had to queue up to receive their daily supply of foods. In fact, if you didn't stand up and wait in line with all the others, it was seen as uncivilized.

     The famous English double-decker buses, with only one entrance, might also help explain why queuing was seen as a part of British life. Almost always, there is queue to get on. www.zxxk.com

     But perhaps the British are tired of being pushed past by the Spanish, the Italians or the French as they queue up to get a table at a restaurant. The people of these other European countries have more than one entrance to their buses, which explains their more relaxed attitude to the queue.

     Two minutes is now the longest time most British people are prepared to stand and wait. But could it be that the Internet, which allows us to carry out tasks quickly, is the main reason why British people are no longer prepared to queue?

     "Used to buying without delay, customers are even giving up purchases rather than wait their turn," says Stuart Neal of Barclaycard. "Shoppers are also less likely to queue for long if the item they are buying is of low value."

     Perhaps I will have to replace "queuing" with "impatience" in my list of things I relate to the British. 

1. What can we learn about the tradition of queuing in Britain? 

A. It was considered a symbol of a civilized behavior.

B. It was a long time tradition as old as the Queen.

C. It was a product of the slow pace of life.

D. It has made the Britain different from other Europeans. 

2. According to the passage, the British gradually stopped queuing because ______.

A. they prefer shopping online

B. the Internet has changed their way of life

C. what they are buying is of low value

D. they follow the example of foreigners

3. It can be learned from the text that ______. 

A. the British used to buy without delay

B. the British have to queue to receive food

C. the British get impatient with queuing for long

D. the British prefer to take double-decker buses 

4.The author's main purpose of writing the passage is _______.

A. to tell us the influence of the Internet on the British ways of life

B. to compare the cultural difference between Britain and other countries

C. to report his research on the British ways of life

D. to talk about the changes in the attitude to queuing in Britain