It tastes just like chicken

Away from home, eating is more than just a way to keep your stomach full．It is a language all its own, and no words can say, "Glad to meet you ．．．glad to be doing business with you ．．．" quite like sharing a meal offered by your host．

Clearly, mealtime is not the time for you to say, "Thanks, but no thanks．" Acceptance of the food on your plate means acceptance of host, country, and company．So, no matter how difficult it may be to swallow, swallow it．Or, as one experienced traveler says, "Travel with a cast-iron stomach and eat everything everywhere．"

Often, the food offered represents proudly your host country's eating culture．What would Ataiericans think of a French person who refused to take a bite of homemade apple pie ? Our discomfort comes not so much from the thing itself; it comes from our umamiliarity with it．After all, an oyster has remarkably the same look as a sheep's eye; and a first look at a lobster would remind almost anybody of a creature from a science fiction movie, not something you dip in butter and eat．By the way, in Saudi Arabia sheep's eyes are a famous dish and in parts of China it's bear's paw soup．

Can you refuse such food without being rude? Most experienced business travelers say no, at least not before taking at least a few bites．It helps, though, to cut any item very thin．This way, you minimize the taste and the reminder of where it came from．Or, " Swallow it quickly, " as one traveler recommends．"I still can't tell you what sheep's eyeballs taste like．" As for dealing with taste, the old line that "it tastes just like chicken" is often thankfully true．Even when the "it" is really rat or snake．

Another useful piece of advice is not knowing what you are eating．What's for dinner? Don't ask． Avoid glancing into the kitchen or looking at English-language menus．Your host will be pleased that you are eating the food he offers, and who knows? Maybe it really is chicken in that soup．

1.The purpose of the article is to ____．

A．introduce unfamiliar food       

B．share the writer's personal experiences

C．suggest ways to overcome a cultural barrier

D．advise on how to politely refuse to eat foreign food

2.According to the writer, people hesitate at strange food mainly due to ____．

A．the way it looks  

B．safety worries

C．lack of information about it      

D．the unfamiliar atmosphere

3.From the article we can infer that ____．

A．an American may feel comfortable with sirloin

B．one should refuse strange food after a few bites

C．English-language menus are not always dependable

D．one needs a cast-iron stomach to travel in other cultures

4.One may say "It tastes just like chicken．" when ____．

A．showing respect for chicken-loving nations

B．greeting people with different dieting habits

C．evaluating chefs at an international food festival

D．getting someone to try a visually unpleasant meal

 

We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. "Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?" "When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?" "And why didn’t Paul pick up that he was friendly just because I had a car?" When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it’s too late.

Why do we go wrong about our friends – or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don’t really listen we miss the feelings behind the words. Suppose someone tells you，"You’re a lucky dog." that’s being friendly. But "lucky dog"? There’s a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn’t see it himself. But bringing in the "dog" bit puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn’t think you deserve your luck.

"Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for" is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn’t important. It’s telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven’t got a date for Saturday night.

How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s words? One way is to take a good look at the person while talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.

1.In the first paragraph, the writer recalls some things that happened between some friends and they __________.

A．think it was a mistake to have broken up with their girl friends

B．feel happy, thinking of how nice their friends were to them in the past

C．feel very sorry that their friends didn't help them and let them down

D．feel they may not have "read" their friends' true feelings correctly

2.In this passage, the writer tries to tell us how to __________.

A．avoid mistakes about money and our friends

B．avoid mistakes in understanding what people really want to tell us

C．"size up" people in a more scientific and meaningful way

D．keep people friendly without trusting them any more

3.While we are listening to a person, the important thing for us is __________.

A．to check his words against his manner, tone of voice and posture

B．to notice his tone of voice, his posture, and the look in his eyes

C．to listen to how he pronounces his words in front of you

D．not to believe what he says in any situation or any time

4.According to this passage, the underlined phrase "puts you down" can be replaced by another phrase "__________".

A．reduces you to silence                   B．presses you down

C．makes you humble                      D．makes you sad

 

阅读短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

 

"No man is an island" is a well-known line from John Donne's Devotion, written more than three hundred years ago. Even now people still agree with him. Without other people, life became empty and sad. 1.

For some of us, though making friends is not difficult, we may not want to make the first move. It is also difficult at times to keep the friends we already have.

There are many books about friendship, but Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence(影响) People, written in 1936, is the most famous. 2. It was later put into 28 languages.

Here is the list of advice from his book:

 3.

Always greet with a smile. Begin with "excuse me" or "would you please", when you want to ask somebody. Remember to say "thank you" and try to be as helpful as you can.

Go out of your way to be nice.

4. Making some soup for a sick neighbour may seem like a little thing to you, but it will make your neighbour feel a lot better.

Remember names.

They say that the sweetest music to a person's ears is the sound of his or her own name.

5.

Try to understand other people's ways and ideas and learn something from them.

Listen patiently.

When someone is talking to you, look at him or her, listen carefully and say something when necessary.

A. This "How to" book about getting along with other people became a best seller.

B. It's also important to keep close friends in our daily life.

C. So we all need to have friends.

D. Be open-minded.

E. Be friendly and polite.

F. Try to help your friends get out of trouble.

G. Find some time to do special things for other people. 

 

The world of the science-fiction 3-D film Avatar is so perfect that the line between fact and fiction has become somewhat blurred （模糊） ．

       Movie-goers have admitted being annoyed by depression at not being able to visit the planet Pandora．Set in the future when Earth's resources have been used up, director James Cameron's film tells the story of a company trying to exploit a rare mineral on a new planet．The humans clash with the natives — a peace-loving race of 7-foot-tall, blue-skinned creatures called the Na'vi, who exist in perfect harmony with nature．

       Fans have flooded the Internet with their confused feelings．On the site Avatar Forums （论坛）, the topic "Ways to deal with the depression of the dream of Pandora not being able to come true" has more than 1,000 posts．In a similar forum, Louis, one user, wrote: "When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed grey．It just seems so meaningless．I still don't really see any reason to keep doing things at all．I live in a dying world．" On the Avatar site Naviblue, a fan calling himself Jorba has even asked others to join him in starting a real Na'vi tribe．

       This fantasy world, with its wonderful plants and animal life, is brought to life by using impressive special effects．Many people believe that 2010 is the breakthrough year for the technology helped by 3-D movies such as Avatar．"It has taken the best of our technology to create this virtual world and real life will never be as perfect as it seems on screen．It makes real life seem more imperfect．"

1.What is the best title of the text?

       A．A blockbuster movie: Avatar

       B．The Avatar effect: movie-goers feel depressed after watching Avatar

       C．2010: a breakthrough year for．3-D movies

       D．Pandora: a perfect world

2.We can infer that Louis          after watching the film Avatar．

       A．will cherish his present life more

       B．feels disappointed about the real world

       C．will intend to create a real Na'vi tribe

       D．is proud of living on the earth

3.Thanks to the success of Av'atar,         ．

       A．3-D technology will probably develop quickly in 2010

       B．most people look forward to living on another planet

       C．many more science-fiction films will be made in the coming years

       D．people have become more realistic about life

4.The underlined word "virtual" probably means         ．

       A．unreal                 C．true                    B．perfect                D．practical

5.According to the passage the natives on the planet are         ．

       A．not harmony with the nature                 B．blue-haired race

       C．peace-loving creatures                          D．fond of fighting with human race

 

India is a developing country. It has thousands of years of tradition and culture. Different types of people live in India. In the old days the educational institutions (教育机构) were called "ashramam" and teachers were "gurus". A guru was a respected person in society.

     Now we are living in the technological world. Big changes are occurring in people’s living. The influence of television, telephone, radio, computer, Internet and mobile phones is very strong in everyday life. But even today, teachers are role models for students. Teaching is still a respectable job. But there are great changes in the education system.

     One of the most obvious changes is that the influence of Western culture has increased. We are paying too much attention to doing business, just like the Western world. Teachers are likely to be influenced by this too, but it is not good. Teachers are nation builders. The development of any country depends upon its education system. All types of development are possible through education.

     Another change has happened in the curriculum. The curriculum connects the teacher and the student. While education is about learning, curriculum means the situations in which one learns. When we say that education deals with "what", then curriculum deals with "how" and "when". But at the moment, it is hard to say whether the curriculum is playing such a role.

1.In India, an ashramam was _________.

A．a teacher who was respected by people      B．a person who worked for the government C．a place where students were taught                    D．a place where tradition and culture developed

2.Which of the following is NOT a reason to change people’s lives in India?

A．TV.               B．Computer.         C．Mobile phones.     D．Tradition.

3.In modern society, teaching is considered as a job that __________.

A．is respected       B．brings good luck     C．is hopeless        D．connects with the fashion

4.What is the author’s attitude towards educational change in India?

A．He likes it.         B．He is annoyed at it.  C．He is indifferent (冷漠的)to it.    D．He is worried about it.