Working or learning in a foreign country can be a difficult experience, both professionally and personally, due to the cultural shock.
The hardest part of working abroad isn’t to find a place to stay or learn the language but to overcome the cultural shock. The anthropologist (人类学家) Kalvero Oberg first put forward the term “culture shock”. He reported that it was caused by the “anxiety” that results from losing all our familiar signs and symbols of communication while living and working in another culture.
These things are part of daily life, and include gestures, facial expressions and customs. When we enter a new culture, these signs are usually so different that they’re no longer comprehensible (可理解的) to us. “When an individual enters a strange culture”, wrote Oberg, “all or most of these familiar signs are eliminated. He or she is like a fish out of water, however broad-minded he or she may be.”
This is what happened to Lara, a young IT consultant from America who began to work in southern Europe last year. Three weeks after arriving in Europe, she sent a desperate e-mail begging to return home. “The people are so rude,” she wrote. “They eat at strange hours and I’m starting to feel appetizing to local food. I can’t get anything done because their way of doing business is so efficient. I just want to be home.”
What Lara and other IT consultants meet on their work abroad is a culture shock. While we can’t prevent it from happening, we can still take steps to weaken its effects.
1. What is the most challenging for a worker living abroad for the first time?| A．Learning the new language. |
| B．Finding a place to stay. |
| C．Adapting to the new culture. |
| D．Earning a high income. |
| A．Removed. | B．Accepted. | C．Questioned. | D．Challenged. |
| A．Life abroad is always in a mess. |
| B．Colleagues abroad aren’t easy-going. |
| C．Working abroad isn’t a wise choice. |
| D．Culture acceptance matters much for a foreigner. |
| A．Measures taken to further understand culture shock. |
| B．Measures taken to explore the causes of culture shock. |
| C．Measures taken to reduce the influences of culture shock. |
| D．Measures taken to rid the influences of culture shock. |
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【推荐1】Have you ever been in mid-conversation with someone, when you look over and find them standing in the same position as you or holding the same facial expression? It may seem like they have consciously copied you, but it is much more likely that it is the chameleon (变色龙) effect at play.
The chameleon effect is the unconscious imitation of another person’s gestures or behavior. Just as a chameleon attempts to match any environment’s colors, people acquire the behavior of others to bring them closer together and help make their interactions smooth.
The chameleon effect was confirmed in an experiment by psychologists John Bargh and Tanya Chartrand in 1999. The part of their experiment included 78 people, who each spoke with an experimenter. During the test, Bargh and Chartrand studied whether participants would copy the actions of someone they hadn’t met before, like moving the foot and touching the face. The second part measured the impact that copying someone has on the person being imitated.
In the first stage, participants increased their face touching by 20% and their foot movement by 50% while in conversation about a photograph with the experimenter. The individuals weren’t aware of what they were being studied for, and the photograph was used to catch their attention to insure unconscious acts. The second stage involved half of the participants being copied, and then rating the likability of the experimenter. The results, showed that those who were imitated scored the experimenter higher. It has shown that when someone copies our behavior, we develop more positive feelings about them. These interactions could be a person unconsciously willing to be liked, and forming a moment of connection.
The main reasons behind humans’ imitation are positive. However, when people carry this chameleon effect to the extreme, they can lose their sense of self. Those who change their entire personalities in different groups often go undetected. But more common signs of the chameleon effect are easier to notice. Next time you are in a social gathering, take a look around and you might just see some chameleons for yourself.
1. Why do people imitate others’ behavior?| A．To show admiration for others. | B．To adapt to the surroundings. |
| C．To establish a connection with others. | D．To attract others’ attention. |
| A．By directing their attention to a photo. | B．By keeping an eye on their actions. |
| C．By telling them the purpose of the study. | D．By evaluating the impacts of imitation. |
| A．People tend to like those who imitate their behavior. |
| B．Too much of the chameleon effect can be beneficial. |
| C．People imitating others are not easy to be detected. |
| D．The copied movements help people to feel relaxed. |
| A．Students adopt teachers’ accents for fun after class. |
| B．People change their habits to please others on purpose. |
| C．A comedian copies a celebrity vividly on stage. |
| D．A husband and his wife share similar behaviors over time. |
【推荐2】Dogs are likely to have complex (复杂的) feelings such as jealousy (嫉妒) and pride, according to a new scientific research.
Dogs feel very jealous when they find that they are unfairly treated. And they do not like seeing their owners being kind to other creatures, especially other dogs. They often react negatively (消极地) when their owners bring home new pets, the research found. “Dogs show a strong dislike to unfair treatment,” Dr. Friederike Range of the Vienna University said.
At first, people believed most animals are short of the “sense of self” , which is needed to experience so-called secondary feelings such as jealousy. These are more complex than feelings such as anger or joy.
Besides dogs research, another research includes cows, horses, cats and sheep, and all the results have shown that animals have far more “sense of self” than we thought.
Dr Paul Morris, a psychologist (心理学家) at the University of Portsmouth who studies animal emotions, told The Sunday Times, “We are learning that dogs, horses, and perhaps many other species are far more emotionally complex than we ever realized. They can suffer simple forms of many emotions we once thought only primates (灵长类) could experience.”
In research among dog owners, Dr Morris found almost all of them reported jealous behavior by their pets. The dog often tried to keep their owner away from a new lover in the early days of a relationship.
Behavioral experts suggest that owners should keep a close relationship with the dog as usual when a new pet or child comes along in order to prevent jealous activity from the dog.
1. What is true about dogs and humans according to the passage?| A．Dogs usually have more feelings than humans. |
| B．Dogs feel unhappy when their owners show kindness to other animals. |
| C．Humans are angry about their dogs’ negative feelings. |
| D．Dogs are often treated unfairly by humans. |
| A．dog owners | B．experts | C．dogs | D．primates |
| A．dog owners should be kind to their dogs if they want to bring home a new one |
| B．dogs have all the same feelings as human beings |
| C．dogs would love to have other animals around them |
| D．dog owners can keep more animals at home to make their dogs happy |
| A．a textbook | B．a magazine | C．a travel book | D．a news report |
【推荐3】If a president and a philosopher owed their success to the same secret, would you try to follow it too? What if the secret was something you already knew how to do? In fact, you probably do it every day. Here's what Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: “It is only ideas gained from walking that have any worth”. Thomas Jefferson: “Walking is the best possible exercise. Accustom yourself to walking very far.”
Are you still sitting there reading this? Get walking! It is not just the two great minds who made a case for it as a main creativity booster（推动）. Researchers have traced numerous connections between walking and novel ideas. A Standford University study found that participants were 81% more creative when walking as opposed to sitting. According to the study, walking outside—versus on a treadmill（跑步机）—produces the most novel and highest-quality ideas in participants who walked and then sat down to do creative work.
The movement aspect of walking is obviously key. You've probably heard the phrase “exercise your creativity”, which refers to the brain as muscle. Our creative thinking is triggered by physical movement, which is exactly why walking—with your dog, a friend or alone—feeds creative thinking.
But the scenery is almost as important as the sweat. A survey reveals that Americans spend 87% of their time indoors. Being inside, you're more likely to have less energy. Without energy, you can't wonder or create. Interrupting your routine with a walk can be a catalyst（催化剂）for gaining fresh insights into problems or projects. Just by going outside，you are stepping out of your comfort zone which is necessary if you want to open your mind to new possibilities. You can walk through a tree-filled neighborhood or a park and observe people wandering or birds singing.
So instead of setting a fitness goal, why not set a creative goal that starts with walking? Engage more closely with your surroundings. Walk just for exercise. Walk for wonder.
1. Why are the two great minds mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．To suggest the way to exercise | B．To show the benefits of walking. |
| C．To give the definition of success | D．To stress the importance of creativity |
| A．Motivated. | B．Blocked. | C．Controlled. | D．Changed. |
| A．Americans spend most of their time enjoying it. |
| B．One can't wonder or create without it. |
| C．It can build a comfort zone for people. |
| D．It will expose people to new chances. |
| A．Scenery inspires new ideas. | B．Your creativity lies in sweat. |
| C．Exercise feeds creative thinking. | D．Your brain is made for walking. |
【推荐1】When someone boards a train in London — entering one of the world’s most admired transportation systems — they probably do not have visions of clean beaches and rolling surf of San Diego on the west coast of America. But they would not be wrong if they did, considering that London’s Oyster Card is powered by Cubic, a San Diego-based company with headquarters 5,500 miles down the road.
San Diego is the 17th largest city in America, yet it leads the world in biotechnology, clean technology, defense technology and telecommunications, and it is also the third-most patent-intense region in the world. That is because policymakers, businesses and educators in San Diego are working together to create a creativity ecosystem, including some of the world’s smartest companies, a talented and loyal workforce, top-rate universities and easy access to international markets. San Diego’s world-class universities and research centers foster a talented workforce, and attract top academicians.
Across an ocean and a continent, London is seeing similar economic achievement. The city’s exports represent 25 percent of the U.K.’s national exports — a sum that is valued at about ￡130 billion — and is particularly strong in service exports, where it accounts for 50 percent of the U.K. total.At the same time, it is maintaining its strength in financial and business services, media, tech and architectural surveying and construction services. London also leads the way in the U.K.’s exports of ￡100 billion of goods and services to the U.S., its largest single trading partner. In fact, in 2013 London alone exported nearly ￡4 billion in goods to the U.S. — their largest market behind the European Union.
So while both cities focus on creating success at home, London and San Diego are also focused on creating a strong international market for what they produce. Both have advanced industries that promote rapid innovation and significant job creation. And they are working together — sharing best practices and challenges, and learning where their trade and investment coincide.
1. What does London’s Oyster Card probably refer to in Paragraph 1?| A．Fare payment system. | B．Seafood delivery system. |
| C．Fresh water supply system. | D．Banking management system |
| A．engineers | B．lecturers |
| C．talents | D．publishers |
| A．London’s service exports take up 50% of British total exports. |
| B．London will outshine other cities in biotechnology. |
| C．London may lose its strength in business. |
| D．London’s largest market is the European Union. |
| A．Two Cities of the Same Tale |
| B．Two Cross-continental Cities |
| C．Two Love-and-Hate Cities: London and San Diego |
| D．Two Unlikely Twin Cities: London and San Diego |
The rise of mobile phones has been blamed for a number of social ills, but your smart phone may also be making you physically sick as well. Scientists have identified a condition called “cybersickness”, which they say is the digital version of motion sickness. The phenomenon, which affects up to 80 percent of the population who own smart phones or tablets, leads to feelings of sickness and unsteadiness. It is caused by seeing fast motion on a screen, which covers anything from a car chase in a film to scrolling through web pages on your phone.
The more realistic the visual content appears to you, the higher your chances of getting cybersickness are . The condition was identified in a piece in the New York Times in which British and US experts said that it needed solving. Motion sickness leaves sufferers feeling ill because they feel movement in your muscles and your inner ear but do not see it. The mismatch in digital sickness is the opposite—you see movement on the screen but do not feel it. The effect is the same and the symptoms include a headache, wanting to throw up, confusion and the need to sit down. Often cybersickness shows itself in a subtle way and sufferers put it down to stress or eyestrain.
Steven Rauch, a professor of otolaryngology（耳鼻喉科学） at Harvard Medical School, said: “Your sense of balance is different from other senses in that it has lots of inputs. When those inputs don’t agree, that’s when you feel dizziness and sickness. ”
Some studies that have been carried out into cybersickness found that women are more susceptible than men, the New York Times reported. Those who have Type A’ personalities—meaning they are confident and determined—are more likely to suffer from cybersickness as well. Among those who have reported experiencing the condition have been video gamers who spend hours playing fast paced games. Engineers at Oculus VR, the virtual headset manufacturer, have admitted that digital motion sickness is one of their biggest problems.
1. From the text, we know that cybersickness ______.
| A．is completely equal to motion sickness |
| B．affects up to 80% of the population. |
| C．leads to people’s feelings of sickness and unsteadiness |
| D．is caused by seeing fast moving objects around |
| A．Digital sickness means sufferers see movement but do not feel it. |
| B．Digital sickness means sufferers feel movement but do not see it. |
| C．Motion sickness means sufferers see movement but do not feel it. |
| D．Motion sickness means sufferers don’t see or feel movement |
| A．likely to accept | B．likely to be affected |
| C．likely to suspect | D．likely to be cured |
| A．a science fiction | B．a newspaper ad |
| C．a book review | D．a science news report |
【推荐3】Recently a growing number of foreign universities，such as the University of Cambridge，are accepting China’s gaokao results as one of their admission standards. Is the Chinese college entrance exam being recognized globally？Forum readers share their opinions：
Cecilia Zhang（China）
The gaokao is a really tough exam. If possible，it can be used as one of the indicators（指标）for foreign universities，in addition to other indicators，such as how well they speak the target language. The students，who perform well in the gaokao，also have the ability to successfully adapt to Western styles of education. I believe accepting the gaokao as an indicator is a win-win for Chinese students and overseas universities.
Wchao37（US）
In fact，gaokao is perhaps much more difficult than the SAT or ACT exams. You can get a perfect score of 1600 on the SAT but not in the gaokao，partly because the SAT is a machine-scored multiple-choice exam. Do you know anyone that has ever achieved a perfect score in the gaokao？
Harry01(UK)
Hundreds of students from China have entered universities in the UK using their gaokao scores, which requires that their knowledge of English be above a certain level. This measure has benefited specific groups of students from various backgrounds in China.
Mbursian (Canada)
In order to attend a university in an English-speaking country, a student needs to have an acceptable band score on the IELTS. Most importantly, students need an acceptable knowledge of the language spoken in any country they plan to study in. Now the Chinese gaokao is closer to meeting the requirements of different countries.
1. Who believes accepting the Chinese gaokao is a win-win?| A．Cecilia Zhang. | B．Wchao37. | C．Harry01. | D．Mbursian. |
| A．The IELTS score. | B．Enough test preparation. |
| C．The Chinese gaokao score. | D．Knowledge of the native language. |
| A．The gaokao will replace other tests. |
| B．The gaokao is becoming globally accepted. |
| C．The gaokao is the most difficult of all tests. |
| D．The University of Cambridge made a good decision. |
【推荐1】Britain is divided into different areas. Britain is one of the most diverse nations in Europe with over 250 different languages being spoken in London alone. With such a various culture, adapting to it can be a challenge for anyone.
Forget the stereotypes (陈旧观念). Many of the long-formed stereotypes simply have nothing to do with Britain today. Don’t think that everyone enjoys drinking tea or beer. Abandoning some old ideas of people and culture will allow you to be more open-minded and easily get into the culture.
Get used to small spaces. Like all European nations, Britain does not have the luxury of space. Houses, apartments and cars are all smaller.
Accept the jokes.
| A．Be polite |
| B．Make friends with them |
| C．Don’t play jokes on others |
| D．Understand the differences |
| E．Following these steps should be of great help to you |
| F．Therefore, trying to become familiar with smaller areas is very necessary |
| G．One of the most confusing aspects of British culture is humour |
【推荐2】The tradition of birthday parties started in Europe a long time ago. It was feared that evil(邪恶的) spirits were particularly attracted to people on their birthdays. To protect them from harm, friends and family members would come to stay with the birthday person and bring good thoughts and wishes. Giving gifts brought even more good cheer to keep away from the evil spirits. This is how birthday parties began.
The following are some countries’ birthday traditions:
Canada--Putting butter on the nose. In Atlantic Canada, the birthday child’s nose is put butter on for good luck.
China--Noodles for lunch. The birthday child pays respect to his / her parents and receives a gift of money. Friends and relatives are invited to lunch and noodles are served to wish the birthday child a long life.
England--Money cakes. Certain symbolic(象征性的) objects are mixed into the birthday cake as it is being prepared. If your piece of cake has a coin in it, you will be rich.
Ireland--Birthday bump(碰撞). The birthday child is lifted upside down and “ bumped” on the floor for good luck.
Italy--Pulling ears. The child’s ears are pulled as many times as how old he / she is turning.
Japan--New clothes. The birthday child wears new clothes to mark the occasion.
New Zealand--Birthday claps. After the candles are hit, the happy birthday song is sung loudly and often out of tune and then the birthday person receives a clap for each year he / she has been alive and then one for good luck.
The United States--Cake, candles and the birthday song. A cake is made, and candles are put on top based on how old the person is.
1. The first paragraph mainly talks about .| A．why there are so many birthday traditions |
| B．how birthday parties started |
| C．how to keep away from evil spirits |
| D．why gifts must be given to the birthday person |
| A．China. | B．England. |
| C．Ireland. | D．Japan. |
| A．In New Zealand, an eight-year-old birthday child receives eight claps in all. |
| B．In Ireland, bumping the birthday child means good luck to him/her. |
| C．In England, coins are the only things that can be made into a birthday cake. |
| D．In Italy, the birthday child’s ears are pulled when he/she is lifted upside down. |
| A．birthday cake | B．birthday candles |
| C．birthday claps | D．birthday song |
| A．Tech&Science. | B．Entertainment. |
| C．Careers&Jobs. | D．Culture. |
【推荐3】America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while—then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flow more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending (延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality (好客) easily, but truly can’t manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for pure business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!
1. Where are we expected to call our American friends if we go there by plane?| A．On the bus | B．At the airport. |
| C．Near their home. | D．At our own hotel. |
| A．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
| B．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
| C．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
| D．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
| A．Treating friends at home. | B．Sharing everything they have. |
| C．Taking days off to be with friends. | D．Meeting friends at the airport at midnight. |
| A．Friendships between Chinese | B．Friendships between Americans |
| C．Americans’ hospitality | D．Americans and Chinese’s views of friendship |
