Culture is one of the most challenging elements of the international marketplace. This system of learned behavior patterns characteristic of the members of a given society is constantly shaped by a set of dynamic variables: language, religion, values and attitudes, manners and customs, aesthetics, technology, education, and social institutions.』① To cope with this system, an international manager needs both factual and interpretive knowledge of culture. To some extent, the factual knowledge can be learned; its interpretation comes only through experience.

　　The most complicated problems in dealing with the cultural environment stem from the fact that one cannot learn culture—one has to live it. Two schools of thought exist in the business world on how to deal with cultural diversity. One is that business is business the world around, following the model of Pepsi and McDonald’s. In some cases, globalization is a fact of life; however, cultural differences are still far from converging.

　　The other school proposes that companies must tailor business approaches to individual cultures. Setting up policies and procedures in each country has been compared to an organ transplant; the critical question centers around acceptance or rejection. The major challenge to the international manager is to make sure that rejection is not a result of cultural myopia or even blindness.

　　Fortune examined the international performance of a dozen large companies that earn 20 percent or more of their revenue overseas. The internationally successful companies all share an important quality: patience. They have not rushed into situations but rather built their operations carefully by following the most basic business principles. These principles are to know your adversary, know your audience, and know your customer.

8. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

　 A. All international managers can learn culture.

　 B. Business diversity is not necessary.

　 C. Views differ on how to treat culture in business world.

　 Ｄ. Most people do not know foreign culture well.

9. According to the author, the model of Pepsi .

　Ａ. is in line with the theories of the school advocating the business is business the world around

　Ｂ. is different from the model of McDonald’s

　Ｃ. shows the reverse of globalization

　Ｄ. has converged cultural differences

10. The two schools of thought .

　　Ａ. both propose that companies should tailor business approaches to individual cultures

　　Ｂ. both advocate that different policies be set up in different countries

　　Ｃ. admit the existence of cultural diversity in business world

　　Ｄ. Both Ａ and Ｂ

11. This article is supposed to be most useful for those .

　　A. who are interested in researching the topic of cultural diversity

　  B. who have connections to more than one type of culture

　　C. who want to travel abroad

　　D. who want to run business on International Scale

12. According to Fortune, successful international companies .

　  Ａ. earn 20 percent or more of their revenue overseas

　  Ｂ. all have the quality of patience

　  Ｃ. will follow the overseas local cultures

　　Ｄ. adopt the policy of internationalization

Jiang Nan, a full-time mother in Beijing, keeps a dozen or so cloth bags at home, carefully selecting one or two before heading out to get groceries. "Most of them were giveaways from advertising marketing campaigns, but others had been handed out in the street by various environmental protection organizations," she explained.
　　Since June 2008 China has forbidden the production, sale and usage of plastic bags thinner than 0.025 millimeter (毫米), and retailers (零售商) are not allowed to provide free plastic bags to their customers, no matter how thick they are.
　　Many Chinese consumers like Jiang have learned to refuse plastic bags whenever possible in their shopping. "A plastic bag may only cost a few jiao, but it's more about how bad they are for the environment," Jiang said.
　　The plastic ban is for the most part well carried out in big cities, and has been obviously effective in reducing white waste. On the first anniversary of the plastic ban Global Village of Beijing, an NGO environmental organization, shows that during the year of the ban the consumption of plastic bags fell by about 40 billion pieces in chain supermarkets alone, saving more than 1.2 million tons of petrol.
　　However, enforcement (实施) shows rather less muscle in smaller cities, towns and countryside. In a remote town like Lichuan, the awareness of environmental protection is not as strong as that in big cities. Street vendors (街头小贩) worry that they are likely to lose customers if they charge them for plastic bags. Seeing no significance in the issue, local government often turn a blind eye to banned bag trade in the market.
　　There are still those who don't have an interest in living green. Cui Lin, another Beijinger, often forgets to bring a cloth bag when shopping, and has to buy plastic bags. "Anyway I think plastic bags are neater and cleaner, and I don't mind paying a couple more jiao," he shrugged.
　　Mrs Yu, a vegetable vendor in Lichuan County, Jiangxi Province, recalled that before plastic bags became popular in the early 1990s, Chinese people always carried a bamboo basket when they visited the market. "Plastic bags are more convenient," she comments, and her view might be that of the tens of millions of people in the nation who still cling to plastic bags, paid or free. This is suggested by her trade where piles of plastic bags are still passed out every day

1. 1.

   In Paragraph 1, the writer uses Jiang Nan's case to __________

   1. A.
      introduce a topic
   2. B.
      tell a story
   3. C.
      describe a person
   4. D.
      offer an argument
2. 2.

   How did Jiang Nan get her cloth bags?

   1. A.
      She bought them at a low price
   2. B.
      She borrowed them from her relatives
   3. C.
      She got them for free
   4. D.
      She made them herself
3. 3.

   Which is NOT the reason why some people still use plastic bags when shopping?

   1. A.
      Cloth bags are difficult to get and heavy to carry
   2. B.
      People's awareness of environmental protection is not strong enough
   3. C.
      People don't mind paying a couple more jiao for plastic bags
   4. D.
      Street vendors worry that they are likely to lose customers if they charge them
4. 4.

   What does the underlined phrase “cling to” in the last paragraph mean?

   1. A.
      stop using
   2. B.
      continue to use
   3. C.
      stay close to
   4. D.
      hold tightly
5. 5.

   What message does the writer mostly convey in the passage?

   1. A.
      To reduce white waste is urgent
   2. B.
      The plastic bag ban has achieved great success
   3. C.
      There is still a long way to go for the plastic bag ban
   4. D.
      People's awareness of environmental protection should be stressed

The Republic of Vanuatu is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. It was one of the poorest nations in the region. Within the last five years, however, it has become a hot spot for adventure travelers. In 2006 it was voted the happiest place on Earth. The reason is not that Vanuatu are the richest but that Vanuatu has white-sand islands, clear waters, the world’s most accessible live volcano, great diving and food that grows faster than it can be picked.

With a population of about 221,000, Vanuatu has 113 languages, which is a result of 3,000 years of immigration from many Pacific countries. There are three official languages: English, French, and Bislama. Bislama developed from South Pacific English, a simplified language that traders and other foreigners used it to communicate with speakers of the many local languages.

Most of the islands are mountainous and of volcanic origin. There are several active volcanoes in Vanuatu, including Yasur on the island of Tanna, one of the world’s most accessible volcanoes. If you’ve ever fancied getting close to a volcano, here’s your chance.

Vanuatu Post’s Underwater Post Office has quickly become one of the busiest post offices for postcards in the world! Visitors from around the world want to experience the world’s first underwater post office. The Post Office is only 50 meters offshore and at just three meters below the surface, very appealing to the young and young at heart. Since opening in 2003, the underwater post office has received about 100,000 visitors. They have posted one of the waterproof（防水的）postcards available in Vanuatu; these cards are collected regularly by one of Vanuatu Post’s four trained divers. The underwater branch is manned daily for usually about an hour, longer with demand.

1.Vanuatu was voted the happiest place on Earth because _______.

A．it’s the poorest nation in the region

B．it’s Vanuatu that are the richest

C．it’s a favorite place for adventurers

D．it’s blessed with abundant nature

2. From the text, _______ led to over one hundred languages spoken in Vanuatu.

A．immigration        B．location           C．dialects           D．foreigners

3.Which of the following is true about Vanuatu? 

A．Bislama developed from local Pacific French.

B．Yasur is one of the live volcanoes in Vanuatu.

C．Vanuatu has more than 113 official languages.

D．Underwater Post Office has opened for 5 years.

4.Which of the following would be the most proper title for the text?      

A．Working at the underwater branch          B．Great diving in amazing Vanuatu

C．A hot spot for adventure travelers          D．The busiest post office on Earth

5.What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A．Various languages.                       B．Underwater diving.

C．Food in Vanuatu.                        D．History of Vanuatu.

Britain’s symbolic red phone boxes have become out of date in the age of the mobile, but villages across the country are stepping in to save them, with creative intelligence. Whether as a place to exhibit art, poetry, or even as a tiny library, hundreds of phone boxes have been given a new life by local communities determined to preserve a typical part of British life. In Waterperry, a small village near Oxford, the 120 residents have filled the phone box next to the old house with a pot of flowers, piles of gardening and cooking magazines, and stuck poems on the walls.

They took control of the phone box when telecoms operator BT said it was going to pull it down, an announcement that caused such dissatisfaction that one local woman threatened to chain herself to the box to save it. “I’d have done it, “ insisted Kendall Turner. “It would have been heartbreaking for the village. “ Local councilor Tricia Hallam, who came up with the idea for the phone box’s change, said quite a few people would have joined her, adding, “ We couldn’t let it go because it’s a British symbol.”

Only three feet by three feet wide, and standing 2.51-meter tall, the phone boxes were designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1936 for the 25^th anniversary of the reign of King George V. Painted in “Post Office red” to match the post boxes, they were once a typical image of England and the backdrop(背景) to millions of tourist photographs.

Eight years ago there were about 17,000 across Britain, but today, in a country where almost everybody has a mobile phone, 58 percent are no longer profitable and ten percent are only used once a month. “On average, maintaining them costs ￡800 a year per phone box-about ￡44 million annually,” said John Lumb, general manager for BT Payphones.

1.Some red phone boxes in Britain have been used for ____.

a. selling flowers    b. cooking   c. reading  d. exhibiting art or poetry

2.Why do the villagers want to keep the red phone boxes?

3.What is the color of the British post boxes according to the passage?

4.What is John Lumb’s attitude towards pulling down the red phone boxes?

Sonoma County, California is famous for its natural beauty. The area is also known for its fruits, vegetables, eggs, and seafood. When I first moved to the area years ago, I had no idea I would be living in such a rich area!
After the summer, local festivals practically celebrate the richness of the county every weekend. From Egg Days, Tomato Festival to Seafood Festival, Sonoma County has something for everyone. An event held every year is one of the most special in the area, which celebrates the harvest(收获) of tomatoes, showing over 170 kinds of this tasty fruit. Cooks prepare the most favorite tomato-inspired dishes. You can enjoy all kinds of food while listening to live music, and taste the world famous Kendall Jackson wine.
Another great feature of this event is the opportunity to take part in the yearly competition with your own tomatoes. Tomatoes are judged (判断) on looks, taste, and weight and winners will be awarded (奖励). If you’re planning on visiting and want to attend this event, get your ticket early as it sells out quickly.
This year, to celebrate Tomato Festival, I decided to plant a few tomatoes in a wine barrel (桶) that had kept a lemon tree before. The tree, after about 6 years, finally did not produce fruits anymore, so I changed to plant 3 tomato plants instead. The three wine barrel plants stand over six feet tall and that’s above the top of the barrel! They have lots of flowers and some have started to produce fruits. As usual, harvest may be late this year, but the quality of my tomatoes will be excellent. I believe I’ll realize my dream of being the best tomato gardener.
【小题1】We can know from the first two paragraphs that       .