Maybe you have heard the expression- when in Rome, do as the Romans do. So when you want to do business in France, you have to get to know French culture, to make marketing plans, and to run your business by local laws.

   1   The French take great pride in their language, so anyone who does not speak it may run the risk of being disrespected by his French colleagues or business partners. Also, another reason why learning French is important is that it is a great way to show every possible French business partner that you care and respect their country’s culture and language.

The first thing you should do when meeting someone new is to shake his hand firmly and always look the person in the eye. In social meeting with friends, kissing is common.

    2 The French will sometimes introduce themselves using their surname first, followed by their first name.

Dress well.  3  Your business clothing is a reflection of your success and social status. Always try to be tasteful and stylish. Women are advised to dress simply but elegantly. Wearing make-up is practised widely by businesswomen.

The French are passionate about food, so lunches are common in doing business in France, which usually consist of an appetizer, a main meal with wine, cheese, dessert and coffee, and normally take up to two hours. 4 

Do not begin eating until the host says“bon appetite”. Pass dishes to the left, keep wrists above the table and try to eat everything on the plate.  5   This may suggest that you find the food tasteless. If eating in a restaurant, the person who invites always pays.

A．The French draw information about people based on their appearance.

B．This is a time for relationship building.

C．Remember to be as polite as possible.

D．Language should be the focus of anyone planning to do business in France.

E. Be careful with adding salt, pepper or sauces to your food.

F. Use Monsieur or Madame before the surname.

G. Make an appointment with your business partner in advance.

How to Be a Winner

Sir Steven Redgrave

Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals

“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes（糖尿病）. Believing my career was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it — the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”

Karen Pickering

Swimming World Champion

“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success — you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”

Kirsten Best

Poet & Writer

“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological tool．”

1.What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?

2.What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?

3.What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to？

4.According to the passage, what do the three people have in common?

Drinking wine in moderation improves the IQ and may boost mental agility in old people,according to Japanese researchers.
A study of the effects of alcohol on the middle aged and elderly found the average IQ of men who drink wine (whether made from grapes or rice) was 3.3 points higher than that of men who do not imbibe.
Similarly,the IQ of women drinkers showed an improvement of 2.5 points over their teetotal sisters.The findings are part of an ongoing study by Japan’s National Institute for Longevity into the links between human intelligence and what we eat and drink.
The tests measured general knowledge,powers of judgment and concentration in drinkers and non-drinkers over 40,all living in Aichi prefecture,central Japan,and sharing the same income level-roughly￡50 000 a year—and educational background.All were university graduates.
But while wine-drinkers appeared to be brighter,the same was not true of those who drank deer,shochu (a local gin) and whisky.
“The benefits of wine and sake (rice wine) in raising IQ could be due to substances they contain,such as polyphenol,which are believed to slow the ageing process,” Hiroshi Shimokata,head of epidemiology research,said.
It was premature to conclude,he added,that drinking wine or sake slowed the deterioration of brain functions in the elderly,or warded off senility.The research does,however,suggest that this is one way to stay mentally alert longer.
But there is a sobering caveat:drinking too much may make you dimmer.“People who drink more than 540 milli-litres (a little over a pint) of sake or wine a day had lower intelligence quotients than those who did not drink at all,”Hiroshi Shimokata said.“Moderation is very important.”

1. 1.

   Which one is the topic of the passage?

   1. A.
      Drinking wine in a large amount improves the IQ of old people.
   2. B.
      Drinking wine in a reasonable amount raises the IQ of old people.
   3. C.
      Drinking wine in moderation does good to any one.
   4. D.
      Drinking wine helps improve the IQ of women.
2. 2.

   According to the passage,which of the following is NOT wrong?

   1. A.
      Every wine drinker’s IQ is 3.3 points higher than that of men who don’t drink.
   2. B.
      The IQ of women drinker is 2.5 points lower than that of the non-drinking women.
   3. C.
      Drinking beer and whisky cannot improve one’s IQ.
   4. D.
      Drinking wine can only do good to the IQ of rich old people.
3. 3.

   The reason why wine and sake can improve IQ is that _________.

   1. A.
      wine and sake have special taste
   2. B.
      wine and sake can make us excited
   3. C.
      wine and sake contain substances considered to slow the ageing process
   4. D.
      wine and sake contain something believed to prevent us from ageing
4. 4.

   From the text,it seems that we can conclude _________.

   1. A.
      the more wine we drink,the brighter we are
   2. B.
      the less wine we drink,the brighter we are
   3. C.
      drinking wine less than 540ml a day,we’ll become dimmer
   4. D.
      drinking wine in moderation,we’ll become brighter

Zoe Chambers was a successful PR(Public Relations) consultant and life was going well — she had a great job, beautiful flat and a busy social life in London. Then one evening in June last year, she received a text message telling her she was out of work. “The first two weeks were the most difficult to live through.” she said. “After everything I’d done for the company, they dismissed me by text! I was so angry and I just didn’t feel like looking for another job. I hate everything about the city and my life.”

Then, Zoe received an invitation from an old school friend, Kathy, to come and stay. Kathy and her husband, Huw, had just bought a farm in north-west Wales. Zoe jumped at the chance to spend a weekend away from London, and now, ten months later she is still on the farm.

"The moment I arrived at Kathy's farm, I loved it and I knew I wanted to stay." said Zoe. "Everything about my past life suddenly seemed meaningless."

Zoe has been working on the farm since October of last year and says she has no regrets. "It's a hard life, physically very tiring." she says. "In London 1 was stressed and often mentally exhausted. But this is a good, healthy tiredness. Here, all I need to put me in a good mood is a hot bath and one of Kathy's wonderful dinners."

Zoe says she has never felt bored on the farm. Every day brings a new experience. Kathy has been teaching her how to ride a horse and she has learnt to drive a tractor. Since Christmas, she has been helping with the lambing — watching a lamb being born is unbelievable, she says, "It's one of the most moving experiences I've ever had. I could never go back to city life now."

1.When working as a PR consultant in London, Zoe thought she lived a ______life.

A．satisfying          B．tough             C．meaningless        D．boring

2.The most important reason why Zoe went to visit Kathy's farm is that______.

A．Zoe lost her job as a PR consultant

B．Kathy persuaded her to do so

C．Zoe got tired of the city life

D．Zoe loved Wales more than London

3.How docs Zoe feel about the country life according to the passage?

A．Tiresome and troublesome.

B．Romantic and peaceful

C．Mentally exhausting but healthy

D．Physically tiring but rewarding.

4.Which of the following is closest to the main idea of the passage?

A．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

B．Where there is a will, there is a way.

C．A misfortune may turn out a blessing.

D．Kill two birds with one stone.

My alarm o’clock rings in my ears at 5:00 every morning. On hearing the ring, I will get out of bed and put on my glasses. The house is quiet as I walk downstairs while my husband and three kids sleep in peace. Instead of going for a long run as usual, today I chose my favorite exercise DVD and started moving. Sweat rolled down my face and into my eyes. My heart beat wildly as I face my body to finish each movement before a mirror. Of course I felt extremely tired towards the end, but a smile spread across my face. I smiled because the DVD was over, and there appeared a brighter smile of success from pushing my body to its extreme limit.

While some people are fond of chocolate, shopping, smoking, or work, what I need is taking exercise to pass each day. People shake their heads when they see me run with sweating heavily through the town. Some look surprised when I refuse to try just one bite of chocolate cake. They seem greatly puzzled by my “no thank you,” or by my choice to just have a vegetable salad. I have come to realize that it doesn’t matter to just say “No.” to any kind of food that I don’t want to eat.

Do you wonder what drives me to roll out of bed at 5:00 a.m. every morning? What makes me refuse ice cream firmly? Commitment—I’m determined to change my life with a way which can not only free me from daily anxiety, but also increase energy and self–confidence. And above all it will surely help me to keep good body shape and maybe extend my life. This is the real reason why there’s a huge smile spreading across my face when I look at myself in the mirror or try on my favorite pair of jeans that now fit me just right and look perfectly on me. I never doubt that I cannot make a difference within myself inside and out without such commitment and sweat.

1.From the text we can conclude that the author___________.

A. desires to look different from others.

B. expects to develop a good body shape.

C. has difficulty getting along with others.

D. behaves strangely every morning she gets up

2.Which statement is TRUE according to Paragraph 2 ?

A. Others don’t understand the author.

B. Others help the author by offering her food.

C. The author doesn’t understand others.

D. The author hates to make others surprised.

3.The underlined word “commitment” in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A. good health   B. firm belief   C. a habit  D. a permission

4.Why is there a smile on the author’s face in the morning?

A. Because she sees her family sleeping peacefully.

B. Because she finishes her favorite exercise.

C. Because she enjoys the inspiring DVD music.

D. Because she feels a sense of achievement