Nowadays, many people in China and Japan are racing against time. They put a lot of value in “being on time”. However, in some countries of the world, people have different opinions on “being on time”.
Germany
Thanks to its industrial past, in Germany you are expected to arrive at least ten minutes earlier for any planned meeting.
In Germany, being on time is risky enough because your hosts will probably already be there waiting, wondering how on earth you could be so stupid. What will you do if anything unexpected happens, like heavy traffic or a sudden rain? So remember to arrive early in Germany.
Saudi Arabia
Some countries care little about time and Saudi Arabia is one of them. It’s because of their long history of desert living where time is not the first thing to think about. It could be that it’s too hot to do anything on time. So don’t expect them to be on time. Moreover, looking at your watch during an event is even considered as bad manners. So don’t get angry with them, either.
Ghana
Most meeting times can be changed, even if an exact time is given, Ghanaians are very relaxed and easygoing. They think that if everyone is late, then no one is late. After all, what can’t be done today can get done tomorrow. If you find it difficult to deal with, prepare to be unhappy. Otherwise, sit back enjoy the ride. Refuse and ignore it.
Russia
Patience is considered a very important quality in Russian culture but being on time is not. When doing business in Russia, do be on time. Otherwise, it will be considered disrespectful. But Russians won’t hold themselves to the same standard. So, again, patience can be key.
How differently people consider “being on time” in different countries. | |
Different opinions on “being on time” | |
China and Japan | Both Chinese and Japanese think it valuable to be on time. |
Germany | Hosts expect you to arrive early for any planned meeting because of the influence of their industrial past. You are thought to be stupid |
Saudi Arabia | Time is not the first thing for people living in the desert to consider. Looking at your watch during an event is considered to be |
Ghana | Ghanaians think that if everyone is late, then nobody is late. Most meeting times can be changed. You might be unhappy if you can’t |
Russia | Be patient in Russia because it’s very important quality in its culture. While doing business in Russia, you should be on time, though Russians are not strict with |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】With the rapid development of modern society, people work for longer hours. Thus, many problems with sight are reported. According to a report from a national survey in China, more than one million people are blind and the number of nearsighted people is nearly ten million. Among them, people aged from 7 to 20, especially students, are more likely to have problems with their sight. A middle school teacher Lin Hua did a school survey of 500 students when he found that few students in his class didn’t wear glasses. Later, he collected some information about the reasons for being nearsighted and the percent of the students who are nearsighted in different levels. Here is some relevant information.
*Glasses:
the simplest, cheapest and safest way to correct near-sightedness; not convenient while doing sports
*Contact lenses (隐形眼镜):
more convenient while exercising; look smarter; need more care with eyes
*Surgery:
give you a chance to have normal sight again by choosing laser surgery
Although it is common to be nearsighted, it brings us inconvenience in life. It’s the high time to call on people to find suitable ways to improve their sight. Or it may cause more eye illnesses like cataract or glaucoma.
回答下面5个问题，每题答案不超过5个词。
1. What is the biggest reason for being nearsighted according to the chart?
____________________________________________________________
2. Which students make the most percent of the near-sighted?
____________________________________________________________
3. How many advantages of wearing contact lenses are there?
____________________________________________________________
4. How can people have their normal sight again?
____________________________________________________________
5. What will you do to protect your eyes?
____________________________________________________________
Life has changed quickly since COVID-19(2019冠状病毒病)broke out worldwide. Many people find themselves isolated(隔绝的)at home, bored and lonely. But if we look at history, there are many great people who produced their best work when they were alone.
Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and James Clerk Maxwell, three of the greatest physicists in history, worked by themselves most of the time. They learned from others not by working with them directly, but by reading their papers and books.
American philosopher(哲学家)Henry Thoreau is another example. In 1845, he built a cabin (木屋)in the woods and lived there in solitude(孤独)for two years. Isolation led to his book Walden, which is about nature, simplicity(质朴)and beauty. As he wrote: "I never found the companion(陪伴)that was so companionable as solitude.[It allows you to] be a Columbus to whole new continents(大陆)and worlds within you, opening new channels, not of trade, but of thought.”
One advantage of staying alone, as we may all find, is the lack(缺少)of distractions(干扰). In daily life, when we need to focus, even small talk can throw us off course. Therefore, choosing to isolate yourself from time to time can improve your productivity greatly. What's more, our sensitivity(敏感)to criticism(批评)from others can stop our progress. We are better at expressing ourselves and thinking freely on our own.
According to Barbara Ess, an American photographer, isolation also forces us to pay attention to the details of life and surroundings(周围环境)that we wouldn't normally see. This special experience helps us think more deeply about ourselves and our environment, which leads to even greater creativity.
1. In what situation did those great physicists produce their best works?2. What is the book Walden about?
3. Why does being alone help you improve productivity?
4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?
5. What does the writer try to tell us through this story?
【推荐3】Ma Yun is in his words
There are always many young people who want to learn something from me. In fact, I’m not as lucky as most of you. I tried three times for colleges but all failed. For the fourth time, I tried for the teachers’ college and they accepted me. I applied (申请) for jobs for 30 times. You can guess the results. It was so difficult at that time. I was down but I didn’t give up and fought on. So you can see a new Ma Yun now.
You are lucky enough. You are at the best time of this century. The best wealth you have is that you are young.
Among all the colleges, I think the biggest one is education. Something we teach our kids is too old. So we have to research what is the best way and what are the best things to teach our kids. The future you face is not a competition for knowledge but a competition for creativity and imagination.
When people have problems, the chance will come. If you can solve them, then the chance will belong to you.
1. How many times did Ma Yun try for colleges? (不超过5个词)2. Why did Ma Yun succeed? (不超过 10个词)
3. What kind of competition will young people face? (不超过 10个词)
【推荐1】I’m David and I’ve been living in the United States for over ten years, and I now say thank you about 50 times a day. Often I do it without thinking. I say thank you to the cashier at the coffee shop. I say thank you to my wife and my 5-year-old daughter several times a day for different things. When I first moved to the United States, I didn’t know I was supposed to thank someone who took my money for something I bought at a store. I had no idea I was supposed to thank people when they asked how I was doing.
I grew up in the northern Indian city of Lucknow, in a culture in which saying thank you is not done lightly. I learned to say thank you in English when I was in elementary school. And when I thanked anyone, I said it in English, which was less embarrassing and more casual than doing so in Hindi. I saved my thanks for those who had done huge favors for me. And I didn’t thank my friends or classmates very often. When I did, they regarded the act as a playful way to practise English.
Saying dhanyavaad, or thank you in Hindi, to someone without looking at him or her is just as good as not saying it at all. As a kid, I heard my father say dhanyavaad to people of his age, and he did it as seriously as possible, with his hands joined in front of his chest. He wasn’t just thanking someone for something, but asking for an opportunity to return the favor.
Now, when I travel to India, I often upset people by saying thank you to them. On a recent trip home, I was invited to my uncle’s house for dinner. He’s been a father figure to me, teaching me many things at every step of my life. That day, I made the mistake of telling him, in English, “Thank you for inviting me” before leaving his house. He didn’t respond, but I saw he was unhappy. I couldn’t even apologize for thanking him. The damage was done.
Different countries and different people have different manners. We must find out their customs, so that they will not think us ill-mannered.
1. How often does David say thank you now ?________________________________________________________
2. Where did David grow up?
________________________________________________________
3. Who did David save his thanks for?
________________________________________________________
4. What is the third paragraph mainly about?
________________________________________________________
5. Why was David’s uncle unhappy?
________________________________________________________
Many Germans, both the young and the old, love celebrating their birthdays. In Germany, like in most countries around the world, cake, presents, family and friends bring fun and happiness to such a special day, In general, birthday customs in Germany are similar to the ones in American birthday celebrations, However, there are some different ones one should pay attention to when in Germany.
First, never wish a German a happy birthday before his or her birthday, It is considered bad luck to do so. There are no well-wishes. cards or presents given before a German’s birthday,
Second, if somebody in Germany invites you out for his or her birthday, the bill will be paid by the birthday person. And don’t try insisting on (坚持) paying for yourself, It won’t work.
Third, the one who has the birthday can enjoy a holiday for half a day, So Germans can usually plan their birthdays well. They like to spend it funnily, with much relaxation. Germans like to prepare a party after the birthday meal to sing and dance happily.
Fourth, if he wants some presents very much, he may ring his friends or relatives to ask for them directly. They don’t think it rude.
Besides. When you are invited, please be on time, Being late is considered to be too impolite.
1. What brings great fun to a birthday in Germany?
2. What shouldn’t one do before a German birthday?
Don’t
3. Who will usually pay the birthday meal?
The birthday meal is usually paid by
4. How do Germans feel about being late?
Germans consider being later to be
5. How many different birthday customs in Germany are mentioned in this passage?
There are
【推荐3】Here is a report on the lives of high school students in China, Japan, South Korea and the US. It surveyed around 6,200 students from the four countries.
Studying
Chinese students spend the most time studying. Almost half of Chinese students spend more than two hours on their homework every day. That’s much more than students of the US (26.4%), Japan (8.2%) and South Korea (5.2%).
Sleeping in class
Japanese students fall asleep in class most often. About 45% of them said they sometimes doze off (打瞌睡) in class. In South Korea, it’s 32%; in the US, 21%; and 5% in China.
Taking notes
South Korean students don’t like taking notes. About 70% said they write down what the teacher says in class, many fewer than in Japan (93%), China (90%) and the US (89%).
Distracted (分心的)
American students are the most active（积极的） in class, but also the most distracted: 84.2% say they chat with friends in class; 46.9% say they eat snacks and have drinks in class; and 38.9% say they send e-mails or read unrelated (无关的) books in class.
Doing after school
In their free time, most Chinese students study or surf the Internet. Most American students hang out with their friends. Most Japanese students do physical exercise. Most Korean students watch TV.
| In class | ● ●Japanese students ●The Korean students ●American students are |
| Most Chinese students study or surf the Internet, and most American students hang out with their friends in the | |
【推荐1】Look at the picture. Who is the girl? She is my friend. Her name is Alice Black. She is an English girl. （A）她是一名中学生。
Alice has a big family. Her grandparents have two daughters, a son—her father. Alice lives(住) with her grandparents,parents,two brothers and one sister.Alice has two dogs—Bobby and Tony.Bobby is black and Tony is white.（B）Alice likes them very much.
1. What is the girl’s last name?2. How many aunts does Alice have?
3. 将划线的（A）句译成英语。
She is
4. 把划线的（B）句译成汉语。
5. 给短文选一个恰当的英文标题。（ ）
| A．An English girl | B．Alice and her family | C．Alice’s dog |
Governments around the world are pushing for an end to plastic straws (吸管) and bags. More and more businesses are switching (转换) to paper products as an alternative (可供选择的事物). Paper is considered by many to be better than plastic. However, it is harmful to the environment, too.
Firstly, paper bags and straws are made from trees. Trees, as you know, can reduce carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) levels in the atmosphere (大气). They can slow down climate change. An increase in the use of paper bags can cause more deforestation (毁林).
Secondly, the production of paper things requires more energy and water. About 10 percent more energy and four times as much water is used to produce a paper bag than a plastic one. You might say that we can use recycled paper to save that energy and water. This seems to be a good idea. However, it takes even more energy and water to go through the recycling process (过程) than to make a new paper bag. Products made from recycled paper are also often short-lived.
Furthermore, paper products are heavier than plastic ones. That means they require more fuel to transport. Seven trucks are needed to transport two million paper bags, while only one truck is needed to transport the same number of plastic bags. The increased weight also leads to a larger amount of waste once the bags are thrown away.
Paper products are actually a lose-lose for both the environment and businesses. They are more expensive than plastic products. A paper straw costs about 5 to 12 cents, while a plastic one usually costs only about 2 cents.
The most environment-friendly solution is to avoid single-use things altogether. Products like glass water bottles and steel straws can be used over and over again. They are much better than either paper products or plastic products. Through increasing the use of these items, you can greatly reduce your throwaway waste and truly make our earth a greener place!
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【推荐3】Travelling is one of the most important activities and people have been interested in it for many years. Modern traffic develops fast, so travelling to different places has become much easier than before.
Staying healthy while travelling can make your trip happier. But do you know how to keep healthy during a trip? The following information may be useful for you.
Before leaving
Wear comfortable shoes, a hat and sunglasses.
Take some necessary (必要的) medicine with you. They can be used when you get sick or have other problems.
You can do lots of sports, such as walking or climbing on your trip, you should do some exercise for weeks or months before you leave.
While travelling
Be sure not to eat dirty food or bad fruit.
Don’t forget to have enough time to have enough rest during your trip.
Tap water is not safe, so drink bottled(煮过) water and always clean the cover on the bottle.
Useful | ||
Why travelling has become much | Modern traffic develops fast | |
How to make your trip happier | Stay | |
Before leaving | Your shoes, hats and sunglasses should be Some medicine can be necessary when It’s best to do some sports for some time, | |
| While travelling | Keep | |
