In the United States, it is important to be on time, for a date, a class, a meeting, etc. However, this is not true in all countries. Mr. Moster, an American professor, arrived at the classroom on time on the first day in Brazil, but no one was in the classroom. Many students came after 10 am. Several arrived after 10:30 am. Although all the students greeted the professor as they arrived, few students felt sorry for their lateness.
The professor talked to the Brazilian students about lateness and found something surprising. If the Brazilian students had a lunch date with a friend, most of them felt the friends were late for about half an hour.
In an American university, classes not only begin on time, but always end on time. On the other hand, in Brazil, neither the teachers nor the students arrive at the starting time. Arriving late may not be very important in Brazil.
As a result of his study, the professor learned that the Brazilian students were not being impolite. So he was able to understand and felt comfortable in the new culture.
根据短文内容,判断正(T)误(F)1. It is important to be on time in America.
2. Many Brazilian students felt sorry for their lateness.
3. In Brazil, teachers are usually on time while students are usually late.
4. The professor felt uncomfortable about students’ lateness after his study.
5. The article tells us different countries have different cultures.
相似题推荐
【推荐1】As we are writing this book, we are in Venice, Italy speaking at a meeting on cultural differences.
If we had never travelled to Italy, we would have been shocked by what we’d experienced. All cultures walk on the same side of the pavement as they drive on the road. This means if you’re British, Australian, South African or a New Zealander, you drive and walk to the left. What you’d find is that Italians sometimes bump into you as you walk on the pavement because, as they come near and you move to your left, they move to their right.
You’d also be shocked when you go to shake hands to say goodbye to an Italian but, instead, you get a kiss on both cheeks. “As I was leaving, the Italian man kissed me on both cheeks. I was tying my shoelaces(鞋带) at the time!” Woody Allen wrote in her article.
As you talk with local Italians, they seem to stand in your space, holding your arms, talking over the top of you, shouting in fact, and sounding angry about everything. But these things are a normal part of everyday friendly Italian communication. Not all things in all cultures mean the same things.
When they talk, Italians use their entire arms and body, while English people and Germans stand at attention. Italians keep their hands held high as a way to mean that they want to go on talking. Arm touching during an Italian conversation doesn’t show love or affection, but is nothing more than a way of stopping the listener from raising his hands and taking the turn to talk. To interrupt an Italian you must catch his hands in mid air and hold them down.
1. According to Paragraph 2, we can know that Italians ________.| A．drive and walk to the right | B．drive on the same side as the British |
| C．like to bump into others when they walk | D．do not walk on the same side as they drive |
| A．To shake hands. | B．To tie the shoelaces. | C．To stand at attention. | D．To kiss on both cheeks. |
| A．move your entire body | B．hold down his hands | C．look at the floor | D．raise his hands |
| A．All cultures drive and walk on the same side. | B．If you walk in Italy, don’t bump into others. |
| C．Things do not mean the same in all cultures. | D．If you travel to Italy, you will be shocked. |
Some cats like to catch small birds, like canaries. If someone looks very proud or satisfied with himself, we say he looks like the cat that ate the canary.
Sometimes, a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches. So if you play cat and mouse with someone, you change between different kinds of behavior when dealing with another person. For example, a child might offer something sweet to her little brother, and then take it away when reaches for it.
A cat will often catch a small animal and present it to its owner. The saying that looks like something the cat dragged in describes something in bad condition.
A fat cat is a person with a lot of money.
There are many other expressions about cats in America. How interesting! Which kind of cat are you, or which kind would you like to be?
1. Americans like ________ best as pets.
| A．dogs | B．pigs | C．cats | D．mice |
| A．dog | B．cat | C．bird | D．fish |
| A．a fat cat | B．a happy cat | C．a thin cat | D．a sad cat |
| A．he plays cat and mouse with someone |
| B．he looks like the cat that ate the canary |
| C．he is a lazy cat |
| D．he has dragged in something |
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |
【推荐3】When my family moved to America in 2010 from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect(尊敬) elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States. I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive(敏感的) Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”.
I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry. In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience. However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young.
When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear. After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more. I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words.
1. Jack brought the couple their food very fast because ________.| A．the manager asked him to do so | B．he respected the elderly | C．the couple wanted him to do so |
| A．nervous | B．satisfied | C．unhappy |
| A．changed his way with older people |
| B．made friends with the couple |
| C．no longer respected the elderly |
| A．The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got. |
| B．Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience. |
| C．From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture. |
【推荐1】I have a brother and his name is Jim. This is Jim’s room. What a mess! His things are everywhere. You can see his schoolbag under the chair. You can see his tape player on the chair. Where are his tapes? Oh, they are on his bed. Jim often (经常) listens to (听) his tapes in bed.
Jim has some books. You can see them in the bookcase. In the bookcase, you can see a white model plane, too. It’s very big and nice. What’s next to the model plane? Let’s have a look! Oh, it’s a hamburger. Jim often puts (放) his food in the bookcase.
1. Jim’s tapes are ________.| A．on the chair | B．on his bed | C．under the chair | D．on your bed |
| A．Jim’s room is small. | B．Jim’s room is not tidy. |
| C．Jim’s room is tidy. | D．Jim’s room is big. |
| A．some books | B．a hamburger | C．a model plane | D．a tape player |
| A．in his bookcase | B．on his bed | C．under the chair | D．on the chair |
| A．Jim’s Food | B．Jim’s Friend |
| C．Jim’s Room | D．Jim’s Model Plane |
“I didn't know that it took so much work. I've never really done something like this,” Mahalya said.
In fact, she is one of 12 volunteer staff members at Bison Bargains. It is the school's first store run (经营) by students. It started on Feb. 22, and it opens each school day during break time from 2 to 2:30 p.m. It mainly sells stationery (文具) and snacks.
The school wants to provide the students with a real-life business experience through this. Christian Ilg, 14, an eighth-grader, was really surprised by how hard it was not to make mistakes and do the transactions (交易). “It's kind of a challenge to learn all the information on the lists and remember all the prices of the products,” Christian said.
To learn about business, the students took a special class. They learnt how to use money and some simple business rules.
The school did a survey on what products students would buy from a school store. In the future, they plan to sell things made by the students themselves. For example, students can sell their homemade pencil boxes.
1. When does Mahalya go to work at the school store?
| A．In the morning. | B．During lunch. |
| C．In the afternoon. | D．After school. |
| A．30 minutes. | B．2 hours. |
| C．2 hours and 30 minutes. | D．4 hours and 30 minutes. |
| A．Mahalya is the oldest staff member at the store. |
| B．Products are sold at very low prices at the store. |
| C．The store sells things made by students themselves. |
| D．Christian finds it hard to remember all the prices of the products. |
| A．A special class for students | B．How to use money wisely |
| C．How to be a storekeeper | D．A student-run store |
【推荐3】Children in England go to school when they are five years old. They must wear school uniforms at school. Kathy is a student in London. She usually wakes up between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Then she puts on her school uniform and has breakfast.
School days start at 8:30 a.m. and finish at 3:30 p.m. Kathy usually goes to school at 8:00 a.m. It only takes her about 15 minutes to walk to school, so she is never late for school. In Kathy’s school, every student must learn French and English. Kathy doesn’t like French because it is not easy for her to learn it well.
After school, Kathy often goes to the Art Club. She likes drawing very much and she is also good at it.
The summer holiday in England begins at the end of July and the winter holiday starts in the middle of December. In summer holiday, Kathy enjoys swimming and riding a bike. In winter holiday, she likes to go skating.
根据语篇内容，判断下列句子正（T）误（F）。1. Children in England start to go to school when they’re six years old.
2. Children in England must wear school uniforms at school.
3. Kathy finds that learning French well is easy.
4. Kathy is good at drawing.
5. The winter holiday in England starts at the end of December.
【推荐1】When the new school year is coming, many students buy new pencils, pens, erasers… But how can you save money on these school things? Here are some good ideas.
◆Have a look at your schoolbag and pencil box
When you want to buy new pencils, books and other school things, have a look at your schoolbag and pencil box. You may find some old books, pencils, pens…Then you don’t need to buy new ones.
◆Write a shopping list
You can go to buy some school things with a shopping list. You don’t need to buy what you don’t really need.
◆Buy old books or borrow books
You don’t need to buy all the new books. You can buy old ones or borrow some from your friends. It’s also good to read books in bookstores or in libraries.
1. How many ideas does the writer give to the students? ____________| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four |
| A．节约 | B．挽救 | C．存储 |
| A．School things | B．School clothes | C．School desks |
| A．any new books | B．any old books | C．all the new books |
| A．You should buy what you really need. |
| B．You may get your school things from your friends. |
| C．It’s not good to read books in bookstores or in libraries. |
【推荐2】I always think my daughter Kendall is the best—that’s just what parents do. When she was only three, she sang for the people, like a little angel.
When Kendall was five, we noticed that she sometimes had a tic. When the problem got worse, we took her from doctor to doctor. During the treatment, Kendall continued to sing. Surprisingly, her tics disappeared when she sang.
When Kendall was sixteen, we thought she would be cured soon. However, a terrible thing happened.
“At a party, Kendall jumped on a friend for a piggyback ride. He bent lower than she expected, and she jumped higher than he expected. Kendall flew over his back and landed on the floor—on her neck. She was rushed to hospital, paralyzed from the neck down. She couldn’t move. But her biggest worry wasn’t whether she would walk again, but was whether she could try out for a show called American Idol.
As the days went on, feeling on her left side returned, but she was still paralyzed on the right. We weren’t sure how much of her movement would come back. A friend brought a microphone and put it on her bed. Every day, Kendall tried hard to pick it up. It was more important for her to pick up that microphone than a spoon or fork.
Sometimes she had to bite a toothbrush to take her mind off the pain. We all cried because of the pain we witnessed. But on the day, only three months after her accident, we cried full of joy when she sang, though she didn’t enter the Top 24 of American Idol.
When she was a little girl, she asked me why it was she that had tics. My heart hurt, but I told her, “Kendall, you have a pure heart, a fantastic voice, a strong mind. And you are a beautiful presence”.
| Word Bank tic面部抽搐 paralyzed 瘫痪 Idol偶像 microphone麦克风 witnessed 目击 presence存在 |
根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. When did they notice that Kendall sometimes had a tic?
| A．When she was three years old. | B．When she was five years old. |
| C．When Kendall was sixteen. | D．I don’t know. |
| A．She had a tic when she sang. | B．She sang for the people. |
| C．She was cured soon. | D．Her tics disappeared when she sang. |
a. She couldn’t move.
b. She was rushed to hospital.
c. Kendall jumped on a friend for a piggyback ride.
d. Kendall flew over his back and landed on the floor—on her neck.
e. She jumped higher than her friend expected and he bent lower than she expected.
| A．abcde | B．decba | C．cedba | D．edbca |
| A．Because Kendall loved singing. |
| B．Because Kendall didn’t like a spoon or fork. |
| C．Because Kendal’s friend brought the microphone for her. |
| D．Because that microphone was more beautiful for her than a spoon or fork. |
| A．An American Idol | B．A paralyzed girl | C．The girl who had a tic | D．A beautiful girl |
What were some of the great sportsmanship moments at the Olympics? Let’s take a look!
Respect
Respect means that players should not only respect rules but also his or her rivals (对手). During the Olympic tennis event, the world No. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland (瑞士) lost the gold medal. Andy Murray of Brain won it. Federer felt sad but he still congratulated his rival.
Competition
American shooter Matt Emmons failed on his final shot at both Sydney and Beijing Games. But he has never been afraid of the competition. He competed at the London Olympics and got a bronze medal.
Friendship
Badminton players Lin Dan of China and Lee Chongwei of Malaysia are big rivals on the court (球场). During the Olympic Games, Lin beat Lee to win the gold medal. Although it is a pity for Lee, he politely shook hands with his rival. Lin also gave Lee a hug and said, “Lee is such a good rival.” They always hang out together after games. Lin will invite Lee to his wedding ceremony (婚礼) this year.
1. When did Matt Emmons get a bronze medal?
| A．At the Sydney Olympics. |
| B．At the Beijing Olympics. |
| C．At the London Olympics. |
| D．At the Athens Olympics. |
| A．He cried after the game. |
| B．He shook hands with Lin. |
| C．He gave a hug to Lin. |
| D．He hurt Lin on his head. |
| A．Sportsmanship means that players only try to win. |
| B．Respect means that players should respect rules but nothing. |
| C．Matt Emmons has been afraid of the competition after failing on his final shot. |
| D．Lin wants Lee to take part in his wedding ceremony this year. |
