Whether you’re eating at a fancy restaurant or dining in someone’s home, proper table manners are likely to help you make a good impression. According to a US expert, Emily Post, “All rules of table manners are made to avoid ugliness.”

While Henry Hitchings of the Los Angeles Times admits that good manners can reduce social conflict, he points out that mostly their purpose is protective – they turn our natural warrior-like selves into more elegant ones.

So where did table manners come from?

In medieval England, a writer named Petrus Alfonsi took the lead to urge people not to speak with their mouths full. And King David I of Scotland also proposed that any of his people who learned to eat more neatly be given a tax deduction (减除).

Disappointingly, that idea never caught on. It was during the Renaissance, when there were real technical developments, opinions of correct behavior changed for good. “None of these was more significant than the introduction of the table fork,” wrote Hitchings. “Gradually, as forks became popular, they brought the new way of eating, making it possible, for instance, to consume berries without making one’s fingers dirty.”

Forks were introduced to Britain in 1608 and 25 years later, the first table fork reached America. Yet while most of the essentials (基本要素) are the same on both sides of the Atlantic, there are a few clear differences between what’s normal in the US and what holds true in the UK. For example, in the US, when food needs cutting with a knife, people generally cut a bite, then lay aside the knife and switch the fork to their right hand. Then they pick up one bite at a time. By contrast, Britons keep the fork in the left hand and don’t lay the knife down.

Though globalization has developed a new, simpler international standard of table manners, some people still stick with the American cut-and-switch method.The Los Angeles Times noted, “They are hanging on to a form of behavior that favors manners above efficiency.”

1.What does the story mainly talk about?

A. The importance of proper table manners .

B. The development of table manners in Western countries.

C. Some unwritten rules of table manners in the US and UK.

D. Differences between American and British table manners.

2. The underlined phrase “caught on” in the passage probably means ______.
A. worked in practice ???????????? B. became popular

C. drew attention ???????????????? D. had a positive effect

3.Which of the following events influenced people’s table manners most according to the article?

A. The introduction of forks.

B. The tax deduction policy.

C. The rise of the Renaissance.

D. Petrus Alfonsi’s efforts in promoting table manners.

4.What can we conclude from the article?

A.British and American table manners are completely different from each other.

B.American people pay more attention to their table manners than British people do.

C.With globalization, the American cut-and-switch method has been abandoned in the US.

D.British people’s way of using a knife and fork may be more efficient than American people’s.

Whether you’re eating at a fancy restaurant or dining in someone’s home. Proper table manners are likely to help you make a good impression. According to a US expert, Emily Post, “All rules of table manners are made to avoid ugliness.”
While Henry Hitchings of the Los Angeles Times admits that good manners can reduce social conflict, he points out that mostly their purpose is protective - they turn our natural warrior-like selves into more elegant ones.
So where did table manners come from?
In medieval England, a writer named Petrus Alfonsi took the lead to urge people not to speak with their mouths full. And King David I of Scotland also proposed that any of his people who learned to eat more neatly be given a tax deduction (减除).
Disappointingly, that idea never caught on. It was during the Renaissance, when there were real technical developments, opinions of correct behavior changed for good. “None of these was more significant than the introduction of the table fork,” wrote Hitchings. “Gradually, as forks became popular, they brought the new way of eating, making it possible, for instance, to consume berries without making one’s fingers dirty.”
Forks were introduced to Britain in 1608 and 25 years later, the first table fork reached America. Yet while most of the essentials (基本要素) are the same on both sides of the Atlantic, there are a few clear differences between what’s normal in the US and what holds true in the UK. For example, in the US, when food needs cutting with a knife, people generally cut a bite, then lay aside the knife and switch the fork to their right hand. Then they pick up one bite at a time. By contrast, Britons keep the fork in the left hand and don’t lay the knife down.
Though globalization has developed a new, simpler international standard of table manners, some people still stick with the American cut-and-switch method.The Los Angeles Times noted, “They are hanging on to a form of behavior that favors manners above efficiency.”
1.What does the story mainly talk about?

A．The importance of proper table manners .

B．The development of table manners in Western countries.

C．Some unwritten rules of table manners in the US and UK.

D．Differences between American and British table manners.

2.The underlined phrase “caught on” in the passage probably means ______.

A．worked in practice????????????? B．became popular

C．drew attention????????????? D．had a positive effect

3.Which of the following events influenced people’s table manners most according to the article?

A．The introduction of forks.

B．The tax deduction policy.

C．The rise of the Renaissance.

D．Petrus Alfonsi’s efforts in promoting table manners.

4.What can we conclude from the article?

A．British and American table manners are completely different from each other.

B．American people pay more attention to their table manners than British people do.

C．With globalization, the American cut-and-switch method has been abandoned in the US.

D．British people’s way of using a knife and fork may be more efficient than American people’s.

Some people try to protect their children from unpleasant realities like illness, financial loss and death. But doctors point out that children can often end up feeling left out if they are old enough to understand what’s going on, but are not told the truth about family worries.

One widowed father told me how deeply he regretted that he and his late wife did not tell their son that his mother was dying of leukemia(白血病). “For months we kept that truth to ourselves. We thought we were protecting our son from emotional pain,” he recalled. “It was a great mistake. I had time to prepare myself. But my wife’s death stunned our boy. It was years before he trusted me again.”

Says Judith Davenport, a psychotherapist(心理治疗医师) who practises in Santa Monica, California. “It’s important to let children experience the reality of death, if it can be done in an atmosphere of love and caring. A child whose sibling, parent or grandparent is seriously ill can be made to feel helpful by being allowed to run errands(跑腿) or answer the phone. Even a very young child can comfort a sick loved one with a brief cheering visit.”

In many matters, if children are not told the facts about a financial setback, says Grace W. Weinstein, writer of Children and Money, they may imagine the worst. For example, they might think they’ll have no food to eat or will lose their home, when the simple reality may be that luxuries(奢侈品) will have to be taken away.

Even the busiest family can arrange to share a relaxed evening meal together at least once or twice a week. Mealtimes are often the only time that families can engage in stimulating(机动人心的) conversations.

Says Michael Abrahams, a licensed(得到许可的) clinical social worker in Rockville, MD. “How mealtime is used to argue or talk, discipline or praise is a good barometer(晴雨表) of whether a family is drifting apart or drawing closer.”

Another way to strengthen family closeness is to encourage your youngsters to invite a friend

for dinner from time to time, giving each child a turn at choosing the guest. This makes parents get to know their children’s friends, and also helps youngsters feel they are respected members of the family.

A joint endeavor can be stimulating if you choose one that everyone enjoys. Try planting and cultivating a garden, or organizing that box of old snapshots into a family album(相册), or learning how to bake bread from starch.

One father recalls the shared sense of success he and his son experienced when they finished building a dining-room table. “We started six months ago with plants and planks,” he says. “When the job was done, we looked at each other and said, ‘We did it1’”

1．The passage is written mainly for _____________

       A．parents                B．children               C．social workers     D．teachers

2．Judging from the passage, what does “sibling” in the third paragraph mean?

       A．Friend                 B．Brother and sister C．Cousin                D．Relative

3．What does the writer suggest in order to strengthen family ties?

       A．Youngsters should invite friends to dinner at home.

       B．Parents had better plant and cultivate a vegetable garden.

       C．Make sure to let the child, no matter how old he is, know right now if somebody in your        family is going to die.

       D．Parents should tell their children of financial setback in the family in order that they get        prepared psychologically(心理上)。

4．Why does building a dinner-room table give the father and his son shared sense of success?

       A．Because building a table a great pleasure.

       B．Because others didn’t believe that they could finally do it.

       C．Because a dining-room table is very important to the family.

       D．Because they achieve something by doing something together.

It doesn’t matter________you turn right or left at the crossing—both roads lead to the park.????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? (2012·天津，9)

A．whether? B．how

C．if? D．when