In England three foreign gentlemen came to a bus stop. They studied the information on the post sign and decided which bus to take. About five minutes later the bus they wanted came along. They prepared to get on. Suddenly people rushed onto the bus and tried to push them out of the way. Someone shouted insulting remarks about the foreigners. The bus conductor came rushing down the stairs to see what all the trouble was about. The three foreign gentlemen looked puzzled and ashamed. No one had told them about the British custom of lining up for a bus so that the first person who arrived at a bus-stop is the first person to get on the bus.
Learning the language of a country isn’t enough. If you want to ensure a pleasant visit, find out as much as possible about the manners and customs of your hosts. You will probably be surprised just how different they can be from your own. A visitor to India would do well to remember that people there consider it impolite to use the left hand for passing food at table. The left hand is supposed to be used for washing yourself. Also in India, You might see a man apparently shaking his head at another and assume (认为) that he is disagreeing. But in many parts of India a rotating (旋转) movement of the head is a gesture that express agreement or acceptance. Nodding your head when offered a drink in Bulgaria is likely to leave you thirsty. In that country you shake your head to express “yes” — a nod means “no”.
In Europe it is quite usual to cross your legs when sitting, talking to someone, even at an important meeting. Doing this when meeting an important person in Thailand, however, could cause offence (冒犯). It is considered too informal an attitude for such an occasion. Also when in Thailand avoid touching the head of an adult — it’s just not done. Attitudes to women vary considerably around the world. In Japan, for example, it is quite usual for men to plan evening entertainments for themselves and leave their wives at home.
Knowing about customs and attitudes is useful when you are travelling, but you also need to know the language used to express different degrees of formality (礼节).
【小题1】The three foreign gentlemen looked puzzled and ashamed because ________.

Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children．In spite of the hopeless condition, two of the children, Albrecht Durer and Albert, had a dream．They both wanted to pursue their talent for art．After many long discussions, the two boys finally worked out an agreement．They would toss a coin．The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother who attended the academy．Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy．
Tossing a coin, Albrecht Durer won and went off to Nuremberg．Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, supported his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation（轰动）．By the time he graduated, he had earned considerable fees for his outstanding works．
When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner to celebrate Albrecht’s triumphant（胜利的）homecoming．Albrecht drank a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled him to complete his dream．“And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn．Now you can go to Nuremberg to look for your dream, and I will take care of you．”
Tears streaming down his pale face, Albert sobbed, “No．．．no．．．It is too late for me．Look．．．look at what four years in the mines have done to my hands！The bones in every finger have been broken at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis（关节炎）so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less draw delicate lines with a pen or a brush．”
To show thanks to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother’s injured hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward．He called his powerful drawing simply “Hands”, but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed it “The Praying Hands”．The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, let it be your reminder—no one ever makes any success alone！

1. 1.

   Why did the two brothers work out the agreement？

   1. A.
      They were so curious as to make a joke．
   2. B.
      Their family couldn’t afford the academy．
   3. C.
      One of the brothers was supposed to go into mines．
   4. D.
      They wanted to support the other sisters and brothers．
2. 2.

   The underlined word “whose” in Para．2 refers to _____ ．

   1. A.
      the Durer family’s
   2. B.
      the miners
   3. C.
      Albert’s
   4. D.
      Albrecht’s
3. 3.

   Which of the following statements is NOT true about Albrecht Durer？

   1. A.
      He began to earn his living after graduation
   2. B.
      He did perfectly well at the academy
   3. C.
      He wanted his brother to go to the academy
   4. D.
      He created great masterpieces
4. 4.

   Which of the following is the correct order of the story？
   a．Albrecht went to Nuremberg
   b．Albert supported his brother
   c．The Durer family held a festive dinner
   d．Albrecht drew his brother’s injured hands
   e．The brothers tossed a coin．

   1. A.
      b, a, c, d, e
   2. B.
      a, e, c, d, b
   3. C.
      e, a, c, b, d
   4. D.
      e, a, b, c, d
5. 5.

   What can we learn from the story？

   1. A.
      One can achieve success simply on his own
   2. B.
      Any success requires the help of others．
   3. C.
      It’s other people who contribute to one’s success
   4. D.
      Nobody could succeed without good guidance

Beijing’s markets will soon be flooded with more and cheaper colourful fruit such as orange mangos and green durian （榴莲） all year round.

Thanks to a new free trade agreement signed last Monday between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations（ASEAN）， more and more tropical Southeast Asian fruit will enter the country.

The agreement means that from July 1,2005, China and ASEAN countries will begin to cut tariffs. There are about 7,000 products included in the cuts.

As global communication develops, countries are trading more and more goods with each other. When products are sold across national borders, countries put a tax on them. This type of tax is called a tariff.

Just like removing an obstacle from the path of these goods, the reduction of tariffs will encourage trade between China and ASEAN countries. It means more products and lower prices.

The agreement will bring real benefits for Chinese customers, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman. “In the Beijing markets you will easily find more tropical fruit like durian, which used to very, very, very expensive. Now they will be cheaper.” The current tariff rate on durian is 22 per cent but will fall to zero in 2005.

In the first 10 months of this year China did US＄84.6 billion of trade with ASEAN countries. Experts believe this may reach US＄100 billion next year.

Founded in 1967, ASEAN now includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Viet Nam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

1．A tariff is money paid          .

A．when buying goods

B．to sell or buy products of foreign brand names

C．to sell or buy goods across the border of the country

D．to go through the customs

2．Which of the following statements about the agreement is NOT true?

A．It will result in an increase in trade between China and ASEAN countries.

B．In might cause the prices of ASEAN products to fall.

C．It may greatly benefit the Chinese customers.

D．It won’t bring any benefits to producers of ASEAN countries.

3．We can infer from the story that        .

A．China lacks fruit

B．tariffs are an important factor in foreign trade

C．tropical countries have cheaper fruit

D．China prefers to trade with ASEAN countries

4．The best title for this passage is         .

A．Tariff Cut Boosts Trade

B．Best Ways To Sell Fruits

C．Tropical Fruit To China

D．China Joins ASEAN