----You couldn’t have chosen a better gift for me.

   ----______.

   A. I’m sorry you don’t like it        B. That’s all right

   C. I’m glad you like it so much      D. I agree with you

Walking around the corner and into the hall at three in the morning, lost in thought and dragging a mop bucket, I raised my eyes to the front counter in indifference. A man, looking to be in his mid 40’s, stood in a pink dress. A wide-edged hat stuck out over his massive frame resembling an umbrella that was a little too shabby and worn-out, making him look like a woman. The shock at seeing such a strong proud man in a cheap disgusting dress broke my heart, as well as frightened me.

  Dropping my mop on the floor in surprise and picking up my face that had temporarily fallen off, I confidently walked over to the desk.

  “I’m sorry,” I began to say but was confused on whether sir or madam was appropriate. “Can I help you?”

  “I need a room,” he said in a gruff (粗哑的) powerful voice.

  “Sure thing,” I said bringing up the registry. “Can I get your last name?”

  “Hurgan,” he said briefly.

  “And your first name?”

  “Amanda.”

  Suddenly I had to direct all of my concentration on holding back a smile. A ten second pause of silence passed while I tried to stay calm.

  “Okay,” I said getting back to the job, “can I get your phone number, Amanda?”

All of the information was acquired and stored and Amanda received her room key for the night. All was well as I returned to the neglected mop bucket. Suddenly a low throaty cough drew me out of my temporary mental disorder. Looking over at the desk where Amanda stood touching her thick biceps (二头肌) I once again dropped the mop in shock.

  “I’m sorry about that,” I said coming around to the desk. Amanda stared with unease twisting her sleeve with her right index finger.

  “I have a cat,” she said in a low voice.

  “I’m sorry you what?” I asked leaning in closer. She drew back a bit as if I was some kind of threat.

  “I have a cat.”

  Looking up into her tall frame, I replied, “That’s fine. We just need to add an extra $10 fee.” She handed me her credit card once again. I swiped it, returned it, and grabbed the printing receipt.

  “You just need to sign here,” I said handing over the pen. She hesitantly grabbed it from my hand and signed. As she began to return it, my hand came a bit too close to connecting with hers. Scared and possibly a little disgusted she dropped the pen, causing it to bounce off the counter and onto the floor.

  “Sorry,” she said, looking down. “I have to go get my cat.”

  While Amanda was getting her cat, an unpleasant thought was circling around my head. Here I was just doing my job and this, this WO-MAN was acting as if I was the monster! He was wearing a pink dress! And I was the monster? Was he even still a man? The sliding doors opened and in came Amanda passing the front desk without even giving me a polite nod. 

1. The story most probably happened at a ________.

A. pub              B. hotel                C. hospital         D. shop

2.We can conclude that the author’s attitude towards the man is _______.

A. objective            B. indifferent          C. critical             D. considerate

3. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A. The author was on the edge of smiling when he heard the man’s first name.

B. When the man checked in, he tipped the author $10.

C. After signing, the man grasped the author’s hand and thanked him.

D. The man gave the author a friendly nod while going toward his room.

4. What might be the best title of this passage?

A. A disgusting cat                         B. A considerate waiter

C. A fierce monster                         D. A strange-looking WO-MAN

The English are famous for their manners． The phrase, “Manners maketh the man” was coined by Englishman William of Wykeham back in 1324, but they’re just as important today． Books are written on the subject, advice columns in magazines tell people how to behave, and “finishing schools” still exist to ensure that young girls become young “ladies”．
The best example of English manners is in their mastery of the art of forming a queue． It is a popular joke in England （the land of sporting failures） to say, “if only queuing was an Olympic sport, we’d win hands down．” No one knows exactly how and when it started, but queuing plays an important role in the English social make-up． School children are taught to queue for roll-call, assembly and lunch, and English people across the land form orderly queues at shops, banks, cinemas and bus-stops every day． The English obviously aren’t the only people who queue, but they seem to do it better than anyone else． As one visitor said, “I have travelled across Europe, the Middle and Far East and nowhere have I seen the single-file queues which are formed in England．”
The English are also famously polite when it comes to language． Whereas many other notions are more direct in their communication, the English prefer a more indirect form of asking for things． For example, an American who wants to talk to a colleague might say, “Got a minute?”; however an English person will often use a more indirect means might of requesting the chat, “Sorry to bother you, but would you possibly have a minute or so to have a quick chat if you don’t mind, please?”
The English also love to apologize for things． When squeezing past someone, people say “sorry”． And they will apologize if you bump into them, “whoops! Sorry! My fault．” In fact, no one seems to say “sorry” as much as the English: “sorry I’m late． /Sorry I forgot to call you last night．/I’m sorry you didn’t get the e-mail．” And so on． They also like to use “please” and “thank you” a lot． In a shop, they will say, “I’d like a packet of crisp, please． Thanks．” British students thank their lectures, and bosses often thank their employees for doing their jobs．
【小题1】 Why does “finishing schools” still exist to help young girls become “ladies”?

I’m sorry you’ve been waiting so long, but it’ll still be some time ______ Smith gets back.

  A. before            B. since                C. till                       D. after

I'm sorry you ______ so long, but it' ll still be some time before Jim gets back．