Informal conversation is an important part of any business relationship. Before you start a discussion, however, make sure you understand: Which topics are suitable and which are considered taboo in a particular culture. Latin Americans enjoy sharing information about their local history, art, and customs. Expect questions about your family, and be sure to show pictures of your children. You may feel free to ask similar questions of your Latin American friends. The French think of conversation as an art form, and they enjoy the value of lively discussion as well as disagreements. For them, arguments can be interesting and they can cover pretty much or any topic—as long as they occur in a respectful and intelligent manner.
In the United Sates, business people like to discuss a wide range of topics, including opinions about work, family, hobbies, and politics. In Japan, China, and Korea, however, people are much more private. They do not share much about their thoughts, feelings, or emotions because they feel that doing so might take away from the harmonious business relationship they’re trying to build. Middle Easterners are also private about their personal lives and family matters. It is considered rude, for example, to ask a businessman from Saudi Arabia about his wife or children.
As a general rule, it’s best not to talk about politics or religion with your business friends. This can get you into trouble, even in the United States, where people hold different views. In addition, discussing one’s salary is usually considered unsuitable. Sports is typically a friendly subject in most parts of the world, and also be careful not to criticize a national sport. Instead, be friendly and praise your host’s team.
1. The author considers politics and religion________.| A．cheerful topics | B．a ban in cultural or religious custom |
| C．rude topics | D．topics that can never be talked about |
| A．Sports | B．Children | C．Personal feelings | D．Families |
| A．They don’t want to talk with others much. | B．They want to protect their relationship. |
| C．They are afraid to argue with their colleagues. | D．They want to keep their feelings to themselves. |
| A．Praising your own country’s sports. | B．Criticizing your own country’s sports. |
| C．Praising the sports of your colleagues’ country. | D．Criticizing the sports of your colleagues’ country. |
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【推荐1】It is widely known that any English conversation begins with The Weather. Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr. Johnson’s famous comment that “When two English meet, their first talk is of weather.” Though Johnson’s observation is as accurate now as it was over two hundred years ago, most commentators(评论员) fail to come up with a convincing explanation for this English weather-speak.
Bill Bryson, for example, concludes that, as the English weather is not at all exciting, the obsession with it can hardly be understood. He argues that” To an outsider, the most striking thing about the English weather is that there is not very much of it.” Simply, the reason is that the unusual and unpredictable weather is almost unknown in the British Isles.
Jeremy Paxman, however, disagrees with Bryson, arguing that the English weather is by nature attractive. Bryson is wrong, he says, “because the English preference for the weather has nothing to do with the natural phenomena(现象).” The interest is less in the phenomena themselves, but in uncertainty.” According to him, the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain and it attracts the English as well as the outsider.
Bryson and Paxman stand for common misconceptions about the weather-speak among the English. Both commentators, somehow, are missing the point. The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all. English weather-speak is a system of signs ,which is developed to help the speakers overcome the natural reserve and actually talk to each other. Everyone knows conversations starting with weather-speak are not requests for weather data. Rather, they are routine greetings, conversation starters or the blank “fillers”, In other words, English weather-speak is a means of social bonding.
1. The author mentions Dr. Johnson’s comment to show that________.| A．most commentators agree with Dr. Johnson |
| B．Dr. Johnson is famous for his weather observation |
| C．the comment was accurate two hundred years ago |
| D．English conversations usually start with the weather |
| A．A social trend. | B．An emotional state. |
| C．A historical concept. | D．An unknown phenomenon. |
| A．Bill Bryson has little knowledge of the weather |
| B．there is nothing special about the English weather |
| C．the English weather attracts people to the British Isles |
| D．English people talk about the weather for its uncertainty |
| A．To explain what English weather-speak is about. |
| B．To analyze misconceptions about the English weather. |
| C．To find fault with both Bill Bryson and Jeremy Paxman. |
| D．To convince people that the English weather is changeable. |
【推荐2】Christmas Traditions
Since about 400 AD, Christmas day has been celebrated on 25th December. This date was the old mid-winter festival in pre-Christian times, around the time of the longest night and the shortest day. Christmas in the 21st century has many traditions.
Shops can make about 60 per cent of their year's income in the three months before Christmas. So most shops get ready for it in October. The shopping centres are beautifully decorated and stay open late at night. The first time this happened was in 1867 when Macys', a famous shop in New York, stayed open until midnight on Christmas Eve (24th December).
By mid-December, almost every house, shop and street has a Christmas tree. This tradition was started by the Germans as early as 700 AD. In the northern countries of the world, winter is cold and dark and most trees lose their leaves. The beautiful green trees decorated with lights and coloured glass balls give people hope that spring will come again.
Father Christmas is known across the world with his white hair, red coat and big bag of toys. Young children are told that he lives it in the north of Finland and makes toys for them. By tradition, he brings the toys to children at midnight, on the night before Christmas.
On Christmas day a traditional meal is eaten, usually turkey and a rich, spicy cake. Some people hate Christmas. Others feel it is a magical and exciting time. They love seeing family and friends; they also love the traditions. Love it or hate it, Christmas is a time to look back over the old year and forward to the new one.
1. Christmas has been celebrated ________.| A．for over 3,000 years | B．for over 1,600 years |
| C．since the start of the 21st century | D．for 400 years |
| A．they can stay open later | B．they are beautifully decorated |
| C．much of the income is made | D．more people go shopping |
| A．they make people think of Germany | B．they are easy and cheap to get |
| C．they lose their leaves in winter | D．they make people think of spring |
| A．a real person who lives in Finland | B．a magical story for kids |
| C．a character in a film | D．a real person who makes toys |
| A．On Christmas day people love to visit friends. |
| B．Christmas time is loved by some people and hated by others |
| C．Christmas is a magical and exciting time for all. |
| D．On Christmas day turkey is a traditional meal. |
【推荐3】As a Fulbright（富布莱特法案基金）scholar at Yale, I wanted very much to get some individual help from some famous professors, but their office-hours were only once a week and there were always students waiting outside. At first, I was too polite to get their help. Then I realized that Chinese politeness does not work in this society. I needed to be aggressive to get what I wanted. I also noticed that Chinese students or Asian students were very polite in class while American students often interrupted the professor, asking questions and dominating the discussion. The Chinese students were not as aggressive as American students.
I was impressed by the role of the professor in the class. The professor didn’t act as an authority, giving final conclusions, but as a researcher looking for answers to questions together with the students. One linguistic feature of his interacting with his students was that he used many modal verbs-far more than I did in Beiwai. When answering questions, he usually said: “this is my personal opinion and it could be wrong. It would be a good idea if you could read the book I mentioned the other day.” Or,“ You may find the book I recommended helpful.” Or,“You could be right, but you might find this point of view also interesting.” When making comments on students’ performances, the professor usually said:” It might have been much clearer if you had taken in some of the ideas we discussed earlier this semester.”
In China, authorities are always supposed to give wise decisions and correct directions. Therefore students always expect the professor to give an answer to the question. I still remember how annoyed they were when foreign teachers did not provide such an answer. Their expectations from authorities are much higher than those of American students. Once the Chinese students got the answer, they were sure about it. That is why they make far more certain statement than American students. That is why Chinese students find it difficult to use modal verbs because the function of modal verbs is to provide room for negotiation and different ideas.
1. The American professors use many modal verbs because they want to______.| A．argue with their students |
| B．be more sure about their answers |
| C．express their ideas more clearly |
| D．develop their students’ own way of thinking |
| A．Chinese professors can always give correct answer to the question. |
| B．American professors are not responsible since they don’t give students answers. |
| C．American education produces aggressive students. |
| D．Education in China is not helpful in developing students’ creativity. |
| A．Comparison and contrast. | B．Cause and effect. |
| C．Giving examples. | D．Description. |
| A．Positive | B．Negative |
| C．Neutral | D．Unsure |
【推荐1】Vellum(羊皮纸) is the material on which history was written and made. Centuries after its peak, it is still in production. Vellum is still a healthy industry, says Paul Wright of William Cowley Parchment Makers in a small workshop. But his company is the last vellum maker left in Britain. The lack of competition is good for Mr. Wright but bad for the craft.
In the past two years Heritage Crafts, an industry body, has produced lists of 130 critically endangered skills. That might not seem alarming. Heritage Crafts shows Britain is a nation of heritage lovers－the National Trust, a heritage charity, proudly notes that it has more members than Costa Rica has people. Britons tend to think of heritage in the country-house-and-gardens sense: history, served with a helping of high tea. Britain does not subscribe to UNESCO’s convention on safeguarding immaterial heritage. But Daniel Carpenter, the head of Heritage Crafts, argues that people as well as fancy houses are an important “part of our culture”.
Words alone cannot keep crafts alive. Greg Rowland is a wheelwright: he makes and repairs wooden wheels for various uses. His family have been wheelwrights, on and off, since 1331. Much of his knowledge cannot be reduced to words. “When you are driving a spoke(辐条) in,” he says, “you know when it’s home because the sound changes slightly.” This can only be learnt by doing. “You can’t learn a sound from a book.”
Even those deaf to the importance of immaterial heritage might be aware of its consequences. For many buildings, particularly churches, shortages are pressing. When the Notre Dame Cathedral Paris burnt down, Paris struggled to find craftspeople to repair it.
If Britain is not to lose other skills, its politicians will have to take action. So far, Mr. Carpenter says, they have had “very little motivation”. But their interest has been piqued recently. The Palace of Westminster is being rebuilt and they have struggled to find skilled workers to restore it. This, says Mr. Carpenter, is drawing their attention to the problem nicely.
1. What do we know about the vellum industry?| A．It is run by Heritage Crafts. |
| B．It has been in sustainable growth for long. |
| C．It is in competition with the National Trust. |
| D．It is still surviving in Britain. |
| A．It is hands-on work. |
| B．It has experienced ups and downs. |
| C．It has been introduced in many books. |
| D．It should be partly automated. |
| A．Maintained. | B．Inspired. | C．Decreased. | D．Shared. |
【推荐2】If you think backyard and roof-top beehives (蜂箱) are helping save the bees, think again, experts say.
A recent study conducted in Montreal found that places with the largest increase in honeybees kept by humans had the fewest wild bee species—with small bees, which are only able to fly shorter distances to find food, appearing to be especially at risk.
“The honeybee has been promoted as the symbol of helping the environment and the variety of living species on the earth, and really it’s not that,” says Gail MacInnis, a researcher at Concordia University. “You would never start keeping chickens to help save wild bird species.”
“Honeybees are among the most common insects in the world, but they aren’t native to many of the places where they are found,” says Sheila Colla, a professor at York University. “Honeybees are very successful invaders (入侵者),” Colla says. These bees can fly long distances and are able to effectively communicate with one another through dance language. Introducing honeybee hives to an area can be a problem for local wild bees, which often end up competing for the same food sources.
Should we stop keeping bees in the cities then? Colla gives us an answer in some way. “There is room for it in cities. It’s just right now we’re not managing it very responsibly in certain places,” she says. It is suggested that cities and towns that allow beekeeping should have caps on the number of hives and require people to register their bee hives. Beekeepers also need to understand the responsibility they’re taking on.
1. Why does Gail MacInnis mention “keeping chickens”?| A．To introduce a new topic. | B．To show how to save wild birds. |
| C．To make her idea easily understood. | D．To share chicken-keeping knowledge. |
| A．Competition for food. | B．Risk of being killed. | C．Less communication. | D．No habitat. |
| A．Saving the honeybees. | B．Building hives in cities. |
| C．Making room for honeybees. | D．Keeping honeybees responsibly. |
【推荐3】About 40% of all food grown in the world goes uneaten each year, according to a World Wildlife Fund report from last year. And when food ends up in landfills, it produces huge amounts of greenhouse gases. So it’s no surprise that the app Too Good to Go designed to be opposed to this problem—by giving consumers the opportunity to purchase leftover, out-of-date or ugly food at discount prices—has become increasingly popular in recent years.
Users of the Too Good to Go app can search for local restaurants, bakeries and grocery stores—and purchase surprise bags filled with whatever food is left over at the end of the day. The bags range in price from about $3 to $5, but they’re stocked with food about three times that value. So customers are also getting a steep discount.
Too Good to Go first launched in Europe in 2015 and opened in the US in October 2020.Today it’s available in cities including Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and Philadelphia. And the app saves 300,000 meals a day from ending up in landfills around the world.
Besides saving meals from ending up in the trash, Too Good to Go’s primary aim is to increase awareness of food waste, eventually encouraging consumers to effect policy change in their local communities.
“The whole food chain is wasting food. So we need to help,” said Lucie Basch, co-founder of the app Too Good to Go.” But for us, starting with the consumers and raising awareness with a super simple app that anyone can download and start using today was really the opportunity to make a difference for us.”
1. What is the purpose of designing the app Too Good to Go?| A．To fight against food waste. | B．To recycle the leftover food. |
| C．To reduce air pollution. | D．To deal with world hunger. |
| A．enveloped | B．housed | C．filled | D．coated |
| A．It still has a long way to go |
| B．It can change the existing food chain. |
| C．It should work together with more grocery stores. |
| D．It can help improve related policies of communities. |
| A．The Main Cause of Food Waste | B．The Solution for Greenhouse Gases |
| C．A New App Helps People Reduce Waste | D．A Consumption Concept Becomes Popular |
【推荐1】Two-time cancer survivor Tracy Pepper has developed an unlikely friendship — with a beautiful butterfly, which she called Fluffy.
Ms. Pepper found Fluffy in her garden struggling for life soon after birth. After feeding it on honey from a sunflower, Fluffy recovered but didn’t regain the use of its wings and has remained with Ms. Pepper ever since.
She has been recording the experience on social media. In one post, she wrote, “I’m the crazy butterfly lady! I just spent 3 hours playing with him, exercising him by walking him up and down my fingers and arms, feeding him and even giving him the feeling of flying! He sat on my hand and beat his wings as I moved my hand up and down pretending he was flying!”
Ms. Pepper said it was sympathy and empathy that drove her. After battling against cancer twice and keeping herself busy with aid work in Africa, she fell into a “depression” last year.
“When I found him helpless and unable to fly, I knew just how he felt. I went through burn-out last year. I wanted to give up… I felt really lonely.”
So she decided to help the insect, to which she has become attached. Ms. Pepper even advertised tickets of internationally-famous Cirque du Soleil’s act she had for sale because she thought staying at home to care for Fluffy was more important.
Unfortunately, Fluffy wouldn’t be around for long — the lifespan of a butterfly ranges from two to six weeks.
But she seemed to care little about it. She wrote on Facebook, “He has a wonderful life and when his time comes, he will die flat and happy and very very loved.”
1. What was the butterfly like when Ms. Pepper first saw it?| A．It was dying. |
| B．It was too old to fly. |
| C．It was struggling against an enemy. |
| D．It was feeding itself on honey from a sunflower. |
| A．Because she lost interest in the act. |
| B．Because she had to stay home to look after the butterfly. |
| C．Because she was busy with aid work in Africa. |
| D．Because she suffered from cancer twice and was too weak. |
| A．She felt sorry about it. | B．She remained calm about it. |
| C．She was rather disappointed with it. | D．She had some doubts about it. |
| A．Because she was interested and curious. |
| B．Because she loved small animals. |
| C．Because she showed sympathy and understanding for it. |
| D．Because she desired to get close to nature. |
Mometrix Test Preparation is the “World’s No. 1 Test Preparation Company”. Here, we offer over 3,500 products covering more than 1,500 standardized exams ,and we are constantly working to improve and expand our line﹣up（ 阵容）. Every year ,millions of test﹣takers trust us to provide them with the best resources available, ranging from videos and other free online materials, coupled with great efforts, enable test﹣takers to attain the highest scores. We help people achieve their dreams by offering the tools people need in order to overcome the testing hurdles that stand between them and where they want to be.
We’re currently looking for a licensed personal trainer to write instructional contents for our
study guides. We need someone to create high﹣quality work that will display their knowledge and experience in the field of personal training. Please review the qualifications below.
Education/Experience:
The applicant should have a background in personal training, as well as be licensed as a personal trainer.
Responsibilities:
-Should produce high quality, unique contents.
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Qualifications:
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-Should be very comfortable to work with computers, and have a good working knowledge of MS Word.
-Must respond well to constructive criticism.
1. What writing style does this passage belong to?| A．Fiction. |
| B．Advertisement. |
| C．Argumentation. |
| D．Poetry. |
| A．To persuade readers to take more examinations. |
| B．To make readers believe the company is legal. |
| C．To conclude that the company has overcome difficulty. |
| D．To make readers feel the company is great. |
| A．Combined with. |
| B．Concerned with. |
| C．Covered with. |
| D．Contrasted with. |
| A．The ability to solve the problems between him and the company. |
| B．Having a first﹣class university degree and relevant work experience. |
| C．The ability to use computers and bargain with customers. |
| D．Having writing experience and the nice working habit. |
| A．How to attract test﹣takers. |
| B．How to make a good first impression. |
| C．How to get in touch with the company. |
| D．How to improve writing skills. |
【推荐3】When you look at fashion shows or see the latest clothes for this year in a magazine, you might think you've seen it all before. It sometimes seems that most of the designers are just going back to ideas that have already been around at least once before. If you really want to know what the future of fashion is, you need to look at an area that is always looking forward: technology. The meeting point of fashion and technology is where the really exciting new ideas are.
For several years now, people have been talking about wearable technology as the next big development. In fact, some products that fit this description are already in the shops. You can buy watches that do everything your smart phone can do, or glasses with computers in that follow your eye movements and feed information to you as you walk around. But there's much more to wearable technology than that.
Sports clothing is one area where new ideas are developing very fast. Runners and other sports people already wear small computers on their wrists that give them continuous information about how fast they're running, how hard their bodies are working and so on. Experts agree that it's often sports people (usually young men) who are the first to take up new fashion ideas. Others then follow.
Women, it seems, are usually more interested in what clothes look like than what they can do, and technology has a part to play here too. Designers are already making clothes that can change color with how you are feeing, or react to sound. And if you think that sounds unlikely, Just think of all the things we accept as quite normal today that seemed impossible or silly only ten years ago.
The main reason that things like this aren't yet in normal shops is that they aren't cheap. But, as with all technological products, the price will surely come down fast. In any case, technological clothing doesn't have to be expensive.
1. What does the author want to tell the readers in the first paragraph?| A．Technology develops faster than fashion. |
| B．The old fashion ideas are more popular. |
| C．Fashion can develop with technology to be creative. |
| D．Fashion and technology are always going forward. |
| A．technological clothing would be affordable to most people. |
| B．only sports people are interested in technological clothing. |
| C．women do not care about the function of technological clothing. |
| D．technological clothing will not be popular with women. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Objective. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Negative. |
【推荐1】Do you know the toys below? They were once among the most popular toys.
1960 – Etch A Sketch
French electrician Andre Cassagnes had the idea of a drawing toy with a joy stick, glass screen, and aluminum (铝) powder. Using that idea, the Ohio Art Co. launched (推出) the Magic Screen in1960, and you could erase the picture with a shake of your hands. You can still find the toy today.
1964 – SuperBall
What happens when you accidentally create a plastic ball that jumps? The toy company, Wham-O Inc., buys your idea and it ends up selling millions. That’s exactly what happened to Norman Stingley, a chemical engineer who came upon SuperBall. At one time, Wham-O had to produce over 170,000 balls a day to keep up with the demand. Unbelievably, the National Football Game named the Super Bowl game (an well-known American football game) after this jumping ball.
1964 – G.I. Joe
In 1964, Hasbro toy company created G.I. Joe, a line of action figures designed to represent the 4 branches of the US Armed Forces – Action Soldier (Army), Action Sailor (Navy), Action Pilot (Air Force), and the Action Marine (Marine Corps). G.I. Joe was imagined as an excellent military unit devoted to defending citizens’ freedom against the evil persons. It has attracted the imagination of boys around the world.
1965 – Operation
An unsteady hand is your downfall (败落的原因) in the game of Operation, which was invented by John Spinello, a student at the University of Illinois. Later, Spinello sold his right to the toy to a well-known toy designer Marvin Glass for a sum of $500. Operation is currently made by Hasbro, with estimated sales of $40 million.
1. Which toy has a relationship with the sports event?| A．Etch A Sketch. | B．SuperBall . |
| C．G.I. Joe. | D．Operation. |
| A．Those fond of arts. | B．Those fond of construction. |
| C．Those fond of brave soldiers. | D．Those fond of kind doctors. |
| A．keep your hand stable | B．have better teamwork |
| C．get Norman Stingley’s guidance | D．have a joy stick and a glass screen |
【推荐2】Too many people want others to be their friends, but they don’t give friendship back. That is why some friendships don’t last very long. To have a friend, you must learn to be one. You must learn to treat your friend the way you want your friend to treat you. Learning to be a good friend means learning three rules: be honest; be generous; be understanding.
Honesty is where a good friendship starts. Friends must be able to trust one another. If you don’t tell the truth, people usually find out. If a friend finds out that you haven’t been honest you may lose your friend’s trust. Good friends always count on gne another to speak and act honestly.
Generosity means sharing and makes a friendship grow. You do not have to give your lunch money or your clothes. Naturally you will want to share your ideas and feelings. These can be very valuable to friends. They tell your friends what is important to you. By sharing then you help your friend know you better.
Sooner or later everyone needs understanding and help with problems. Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend can be a first step in solving the problem. So to be a friend you must listen and understand. You must try to put yourself in your friend’s place so you can understand the problem better.
No two friendships are ever exactly alike. But all true friendships have three things in common. If you plan to keep your friends, you must practice honesty, generosity and understanding.
1. Some friendships don’t last long because________.| A．there are too many people who want to make friends |
| B．those (who never give others friendships) receive no friendship from others |
| C．those who give others friendship receive friendship from others |
| D．they don’t know friendship is something serious. |
| A．something countable | B．the base of friendship |
| C．as important as money | D．more important than anything else |
| A．Always tell your friend the truth. |
| B．Sharing your mind with your friend is of great value. |
| C．Discussing your problems with your friend often helps to solve the problem. |
| D．A friend who gives you his lunch money is a true friend. |
| A．Honesty Is the Best Policy | B．A Friend In Need Is a Friend Indeed |
| C．How To Be a Friend | D．There Important points In Life |
【推荐3】The idea of using a public bathroom with see through walls may sound like the stuff of nightmares. But a famous Japanese is hoping to change that view, using new technology to make restrooms in Tokyo parks more inviting.
“There are two things we worry about when entering a public restroom, especially those cated at a park,” according to architect Shigeru Ban’s firm. “The first is cleanliness, and the second is whether anyone is inside.”
The newly-invented transparent walls can turn off both of those worries, Ban says, by showing people what awaits them inside. After users enter the restroom and lock the door, the room’s walls turn a powdery paste) shade and are no longer see-through.
Ban’s are sure to make for great conversation among visitors to the park-and they’ll stand out even more after dark. “At night, the facility lights up the park like a beautiful lantern,” the architect’s website says.
The group is behind the Tokyo Toilet project, world-famous architects to create toilets “like you’ve never seen. The project’s eye catching toilets are part of a plan to put people ar ease when isiting a public bathroom. The project may seem silly, but the 16 architects who are reimagining public toilets are some of the brightest names in Japanese architecture. The list includes four Pritzker Prize winners-Ban, Toyo Ito, Tadao Ando and Fumihiko Maki-along with international stars such as Kengo Kuma and Sou Fujimoto. The fashion designer Nigo is also contributing.
Ban’s colorful public bathrooms opened to the public this month in two parks: Yoyogi Fukamachi Mini Park and Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park. Other bespoke commodes will be opening in coming months.
1. Why are people often worried before entering a public restroom?| A．Its lock is usually useless. |
| B．It’s usually at a huge distance. |
| C．It’s not always clean. |
| D．It’s always occupied. |
| A．Easy to see through. |
| B．Not easy to see through. |
| C．Full of bright colors. |
| D．Thick and strong. |
| A．It’s and silly. |
| B．It’s rewarding and. |
| C．It has won the Pritzker Prize. |
| D．It’s the fruit of colleqtive wisdom |
| A．Should the public restrooms be upgraded? |
| B．The new high-tech walls of public restrooms are coming. |
| C．How do we live with see-through public facilities? |
| D．Some famous architects designed a silly project. |
