In England recently three foreign gentlemen came to a bus stop and waited. About five minutes later, the bus they wanted came along. They were just going to get on when suddenly there was a loud noise behind them. People rushed onto the bus and tried to push them out of the way. Someone shouted at them. The bus conductor came rushing down the stairs to see what all the trouble was about. The three foreigners seem all at sea and looked embarrassed (窘迫的). No one had told them about the British custom (习惯) of lining up for a bus that the first person who arrives at the bus stop is the first person to get on the bus.
Learning the language of a country isn’t enough. If you want to have a pleasant visit, find out as much as possible about the manners and customs of your host country. You will probably be surprised just how different they can be from your own. A visitor to India would do well to remember that people there consider it impolite to use the left hand for passing food at table. The left hand is supposed to be used for washing yourself. Also in India, you might see a man shaking his head at another to show that he doesn’t agree. But in many parts of India a shake of the head means agreement. Nodding (点头) your head when you are given a drink in Bulgaria will most probably leave you thirsty .
In that country, you shake your head to mean ‘yes’— a nod means ‘no’. At a meal in countries on the Arabic Peninsula, you will find that your glass is repeated refilled as soon as you drink up. If you think that you have had enough, you should take the cup or glasses in your hand and give it a little shake from side to side or place your hand over the top.
In Europe it is quite usual to cross your legs when you are sitting talking to someone even at an important meeting. Doing this in Thailand, however, could bring about trouble. Also, you should try to avoid (避免) touching the head of an adult — it’s just not done in Thailand.
1. The British people tried to push the three gentlemen out of the way, because the gentlemen _________ .| A．were foreigners | B．didn’t have tickets |
| C．made a loud noise | D．didn’t line up for the bus |
| A．learn the language of the country |
| B．understand the manners and customs of the country |
| C．have enough time and money |
| D．make friends with the people there |
| A．to use the right hand for passing food at table |
| B．to pass food with the left hand |
| C．to eat food with your hands |
| D．to help yourself at table |
| A．a common habit | B．an important manner |
| C．a serious trouble | D．a bad manner |
| A．People’s Everyday Life |
| B．Mind Your Manners |
| C．Shaking and Nodding Head |
| D．Taking a Bus in England |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Researchers found that those with strong, close bonds(关系)with their friends at age 15 were more likely to be healthy and happy later. Importantly, popularity—defined as lots of people liking you generally, but without bonding with each other closely—wasn’t found to have the same benefit as close friends. “Close friendship strength in mid-adolescence predicted relative increases in self-worth and decreases in anxiety and depressive symptoms by early adulthood,” according to the authors of the study. Popularity actually had the opposite—negative—effect.
The University of Virginia researchers who carried out the study followed the 169 subjects every year for a decade, which means that their data are pretty strong. The scientists weren’t relying on their recall of the types of relationships people had years later; they got data in real time from their subjects as they grew and matured(成熟的).
Each year, the subjects spoke to the researchers about their friends—who their best friends were and what their relationships were like with other friends. Through interviews and assessments, they were asked about “anxiety, social acceptance, self-worth and symptoms of depression; teens’ close friends also reported on their friendships and were interviewed,” according to the release.
Then the researchers analyzed the 10 years of data to understand how people handled stress over time. Those who were merely popular did worse on several measures of mental health compared to people with strong high school friendships.
The study shows that being well-liked by a large group of people cannot take the place of forming deep, supportive friendships. Because these experiences stay with us in addition to what happens later. As technology makes it increasingly easy to build a social network of ordinary friends, focusing time and attention on cultivating close connections with a few individuals should be a priority(优先考虑).
1. What is the potential of close friendship in mid-adolescence compared with popularity?| A．People will have more confidence. | B．People will have less self-worth. |
| C．People will be more depressed. | D．People will be more anxious. |
| A．They gathered the date when the subjects were quite young. |
| B．They collected the data when the subjects were mature. |
| C．They got the date from the subjects’ memory. |
| D．They obtained the data in real time. |
| A．Their diet. | B．Their intelligence. |
| C．Their social acceptance. | D．Their body shape. |
| A．To oppose other people’s theories. | B．To draw a conclusion and give advice. |
| C．To present the methods of the research. | D．To point out the limitations of the research. |
【推荐2】Some American skateboarders are creating new moves by connecting longboarding to dance. This activity is already popular in southern California. It has also become popular in cities like Paris, France and Seoul, South Korea. The unusual activity brings together skating and dance, with a little danger as well.
Longboards started out as a way for surfers to keep in shape when they were not in the water. They are longer than traditional skateboards. The added length can be more difficult to move with, but many skaters say they can be more graceful(优雅的) on a longboard.
Today, skaters use longboards to make sidewalk turns and bomb hills. They also use them for longboard dancing.
Dooling, who is 30 years old, showed off some of her moves during a recent night in an empty parking lot in Santa Monica. She was joined by her 33-year-old friend Yun Huang, Jane Kang and Christie Goodman. Kang and Goodman are both 29. Everyone in the group wore wide-legged pants and flat-bottomed shoes for riding. The friends get together most Saturday and Sunday afternoons if the weather is nice.
The gatherings are supported by the Dancing Foundation. The non-profit group started with support from American technology company Google. The organization was started by Achille Brighton, a 39-year-old software engineer.
Longboard dancing is still quite young. But Brighton said it has already spread worldwide. He said those places have public squares and a lot of open spaces where people can watch the skaters.
Dooling was one of the first to try longboard dancing. She learned to skate in the northwestern city of Seattle, Washington. Now, she works for the technology company Amazon in Los Angeles. Dooling said she did not know anybody when she first moved to the area with her partner in 2021. Through skating she found a community.
Brighton said he thought one thing that ties together longboarding and longboard dancing is danger. “You might miss a step; you might fall; you might get hurt,” he said. “And that’s the exciting bit.”
1. How is a longboard different from a traditional skateboard?| A．It looks more beautiful. | B．It is much more popular. |
| C．It is used as a surfing tool. | D．It is much harder to move with. |
| A．A famous technology company. | B．A supporter of longboard dancing. |
| C．The popularity of longboard dancing. | D．The clothing for longboard dancing. |
| A．It brings danger and excitement. | B．It is a quite young national sport. |
| C．It is a peaceful and costly activity. | D．It helps skaters communicate with others. |
| A．Longboard Dancing Is Mix of Moves and Danger |
| B．New Sports Art Is Spreading Rapidly Around the World |
| C．Longboard Dancing Show Draws Large Audience |
| D．Possible Danger Makes Art Even More Attractive |
【推荐3】A robotic police dog is being used to look for high body temperatures in homeless people at a temporary shelter in Hawaii’s capital, Honolulu. The effort is one way public safety agencies are starting to use the commercial robot Spot. Spot can move like an animal and can walk over almost anything a person can. But people concerned about privacy（隐私）warn that the police are quickly buying the robots without safeguards against misuse and that it may become a danger to people’s privacy.
In Honolulu, the police department spent about $150, 000 in pandemic（疫情）ad money to buy their Spot. It was bought from Boston Dynamics for use at a government homeless shelter near the airport to look for high body temperatures between mealtimes. Supervisor Joseph O’Neal of the Honolulu Police Department sad, “Because these people are houseless, it’s considered OK to do that. ”The New York Police Department started using Spot after painting it blue and renaming it “Digidog”. However, Spot received attention and criticism that led the police department to return Digidog to 1ts maker.
Michael Perry is the vice president of Boston Dynamics. He sand the company’s usage guidelines impede the robot’s use as a weapon. It is also not supposed to be used for anything that would go against privacy or civil rights laws.
There are about 500 Spot robots In use. Spot is still mostly controlled by humans. All the operators have to do is tell Spot which direction to go n and t can deal with a difficult path, like steps. It can also operate on its own, but only f it has memorized a path and there are not any surprises Jongwook Kim, the legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii, sand they are used by companies to inspect areas with dangerous levels of electricity and also used in building sites, mines and factories. Kim sand that there might be some good uses for such machines but opening the door for police robots to work with the public is probably not a good idea.
1. What does the public think of the robotic police dog?| A．It's a useful tool. | B．It costs too much. |
| C．It's a risky machine. | D．It can guard against violence in public. |
| A．To compete with Digidog. | B．To pick out abnormal body temperatures. |
| C．To deliver meals to the homeless. | D．To do some cleaning in the airport. |
| A．search | B．explain |
| C．stop | D．trade |
| A．They can walk down steps. | B．They can be used in any field. |
| C．They can deal with unexpected things. | D．They can’t perform tasks without orders |
【推荐1】Like any language, English has many variations in vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation. The differences can be regional or even exist within the same city! As a Canadian who lives in Vancouver, I have always known these differences, but I didn’t get to experience them firsthand until I began attending an American university.
I found that there are some Canadian words that people in the US just don’t understand like “tuque”, which is a warm, knitted hat. My friends tease me every time I use the “washroom,” as the word isn’t used in the US—“bathroom”, “toilet” and “restroom” are often used instead. In a similar way, when I asked my friend what marks he got on his test, he gave me a confused look. People in the US only say “grades”.
Though certain Canadian expressions sound very different from our North American neighbor, they share the same original language because both served as colonies(殖民地) of the former British Empire. This cultural heritage survives through speech and language.
Unlike American English, most Canadian spellings are similar to the British words. In the US, words like “harbour” and “colour” are spelled without the “u”. Even so, some words changed in Canada, like “aluminum”. British people spell and pronounce this word as “aluminium”.
As a result, Canadian English has developed an identity of its own. For example, we cannot forget the most important word in Canadian English: sorry. While it isn’t really the most important word, Canadians have a reputation for being polite and friendly. I want to preserve that reputation and honor my Canadian roots, even while I’m in the United States.
“Language brings with it an identity and a culture…,” wrote South African comedian Trevor Noah in his book, Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Child. “A language barrier says ‘We’re different.’ A shared language says ‘We’re the same’.”
1. Why might Americans fail to understand Canadians sometimes?| A．Canadian English is more challenging. |
| B．There exist differences in the two languages. |
| C．Canada is less strongly influenced by the former British Empire. |
| D．Canadians attach more importance to being polite and friendly. |
| A．never sees the difference between different kinds of English |
| B．is always looked down upon by his friends in the US |
| C．found great difficulty adapting to university life in the US |
| D．does not want to lose his identity as a Canadian |
| A．language is an important carrier of culture | B．most of the languages have the same origin |
| C．one culture’s meat is another culture’s poison | D．honesty is the key to crossing the language barrier |
Culture Shock
Culture shock is the emotional and mental reaction to being in a completely new cultural environment. This is often a very difficult experience for many people and it consist of several stages of feelings until someone successfully adapts to being in the new culture.
The “honeymoon” stage of culture shock is usually the first stage that people go through when surrounded by different cultural values and lifestyles. During this stage, people often have very positive images of their new cultural surroundings. They tend to view these in an idealistic way and ignore or minimize problems. This stage quickly gives way to the second stage, called “the frustration phase”.
During the “frustration stage”, the newcomer begins to experience a more negative view of their cultural surroundings. There is a definite frustration that things that should be easy are still difficult. For example, people who may have been enjoyed learning the basics of a language during the honeymoon phase would now find it a chore to try and communicate with locals in the frustration phase.
After the frustration stage ends, the adjustment phase begins. This marks the time when newcomers begin to adjust themselves to the new culture. They begin to accept the differences around them and the challenges of everyday life. This opens the door to two possible outcomes— mastery and rejection.
Those newcomers who enter the “mastery stage” have completely accepted the values and beliefs of the new culture. Those who choose the “rejection phase” have decided not to accept it. They usually choose to permanently withdraw from the culture through isolation or returning home.
Culture shock is a very emotional experience for most people and there are many symptoms. It is important to recognize these symptoms in newcomers and understand the reasons for these feelings.
1. Culture shock refers to how people2. People usually take a(n)
3. In which of the four stages do people feel worst, according to the passage?
4. The following paragraph is a short summary of the passage. Fill in each blank with no more than 8 words.
People experience
【推荐3】As the global novel coronavirus (新型冠状病毒) speeds up, many are wondering about the effectiveness of masks and when it’s appropriate to wear them. Most people from the East believe that wearing a mask is essential to control the spread of the disease. But people in the West generally would argue that, unless one is already ill, wearing a mask is simply unnecessary.
In Eastern countries like China, mask-wearing is rooted in their cultures. In fact, people in the East wear masks not just to protect themselves from illness but also for a variety of other reasons. Young people in Japan, for example, wear masks as a fashion statement, expressing their personal style through unique designs and patterns. Wearing a face mask is also an outward expression of group-centered values. With one’s face partly covered, one becomes part of a giant group. In many Asian countries, masks are worn in many conditions in daily life, such as doing housework or visiting patients in the hospital. They can give people the comfort of being protected.
In Western countries, however, individual values are the most important. It is up to the individuals to decide whether to wear masks or not. A face mask is reserved only for those showing symptoms (症状) of illness.
As a citizen, it is one’s duty to prevent the spread of illness by following proper procedures. Whether from the East or the West, social culture has played an important role in one’s decision on whether or not to wear a mask. That’s because human beings are social creatures who take into consideration what other members of society think of us. The most important thing is to respect others’ opinions, no matter how different they are.
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?| A．To lead to the topic of the text. | B．To show how serious the disease is. |
| C．To confirm the influence of culture. | D．To prove it is essential to wear a mask. |
| A．They wear masks to show respect for others. |
| B．They want the comfort of being protected. |
| C．It is fashionable for the young to wear masks. |
| D．They wear masks to be the focus of their group. |
| A．Subjective. | B．Objective. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Positive. |
| A．A diary. | B．A guidebook. |
| C．A novel. | D．A magazine. |
