In the eyes of many foreigners, Chinese are the best hosts in the world. The guest-host relationship in China is much more different than that in some western countries, and western guests sometimes look rude in the eyes of Chinese guests.
In China, guests are almost like gods. Whenever I enter a Chinese person’s home, there is always fruit on the table for me, and someone is quick to bring me a cup of tea or water. In the west, generally the guest is not a god. Acting according to the host’s way of doing things is usual behavior for a guest.
My wife’s mother, a very kind elderly Chinese lady, doesn’t smoke. When I see some of her guests smoking in her house, as a non-smoker, I feel unhappy. Usually I want to stop them directly, but I must realize that in China, to be a good host, she must not do that. In most North American homes, if you are a guest, and the hosts are not smokers, you should not smoke in their house. You could ask, “Is it OK if I smoke?” But, don’t be surprised if they say, “No, you can’t smoke.”
Guests in China also have special habits. Some western people may not adapt to these habits very soon. Thankfully my wife is Chinese, so whenever we visit a Chinese family she tells me to buy them a gift. However, giving a gift to a host is not always necessary in my country. So, if you invite foreign guests to your home, don’t be too surprised if they don’t bring you a gift.
In China, you probably won’t need to change the guest-host relationship very much because you will probably only be the host, and Chinese are naturally very good hosts. If western hosts invite you to their house, try not to be too surprised if their style of treating you is not what you have expected.
1. Many foreigners think that Chinese hosts are the ______ in the world.| A．best | B．worst | C．most natural | D．most difficult |
| A．buys some fruit | B．feels like a god |
| C．wants some gifts | D．takes a cup of tea |
| A．It’s OK if you smoke here. | B．Let’s smoke together. |
| C．Sorry, you can’t smoke here. | D．Smoking is a bad habit. |
| A．think back to | B．get used to |
| C．look forward to | D．keep close to |
| A．Foreigners should learn from Chinese. |
| B．Hosts must do things in the guest’s way. |
| C．Western hosts are always nice to guests. |
| D．People should understand cultural differences. |
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Foreign visitors are often puzzled (迷惑的) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go pass a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, usually there are not many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat (平坦的). In many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distance. In Kansas or lowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map: the measure (测量) distance by means of time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” you say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.
People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because visitors seldom understand the Greek language. Instead of giving you the direction, a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.
Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question. What happen in this situation? A New Yorker might say, “sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answer, “I don’t know.” They think that it is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A visitor can get lost in Yucatan.
One thing will help you everywhere. You might not understand a person’s words, by maybe you can understand his body language. He or she will usually turn and then point in the correct direction.
1. What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．we needn’t carry a map for travel. |
| B．There are not many landmarks in the American Midwest. |
| C．There are different ways to give directions in different parts of the world. |
| D．Americans and Japanese have different body languages when you ask for directions. |
| A．Building names |
| B．Street names |
| C．Hotels |
| D．Buildings or places which are easily seen |
| A．Four | B．Five | C．Six | D．seven |
| A．People in Yucatan don’t know what the traveler said, so they give a wrong answer. |
| B．People in Yucatan think that “I don’t know” is impolite, so they give a wrong answer. |
| C．People in Yucatan like making a joke, so they usually give a wrong answer. |
| D．People in Yucatan are bad men, so they usually give a wrong answer. |
| A．People in some places give directions in miles but people in other places give directions by means of time. |
| B．Travelers can learn about people’s customs by asking questions for directions. |
| C．People in different places give directions in different ways. |
| D．A person’s body language can help you understand directions. |
【推荐2】Of course, the main difference on the Chinese dinner table is chopsticks instead of knife and fork, but that’s only superficial (表面上的). Besides, in some good restaurants, you can always ask for a pair of knife and fork, if you find the chopsticks not helpful enough.
The real difference is that in the West, you have your own plate of food, while in China the dishes are placed on the table and everyone shares. If you are being treated to a formal (正式的) dinner and especially if the host thinks you’re in the country for the first time, he will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes.
The meal usually begins with a set of at least four cold dishes, to be followed by the main courses (菜肴) of hot meat and vegetable dishes. Soup then will be served (unless in Guangdong style restaurants) to be followed by staple food such as rice, noodles, dumplings and so on. If you wish to have your rice to go with other dishes, you should say so in good time, for most of the Chinese choose to have the staple food at last or have none of them at all.
Perhaps one of the things that surprise a western visitor most is that some of the Chinese hosts like to put food into the plates of their guests. In formal dinners, there are always “public” chopsticks and spoons for this purpose, but some hosts may use their own chopsticks. This is a sign of friendship and politeness. It is always polite to eat the food. If you do not eat it, just leave the food in the plate.
People in China tend to (往往会) over-order food, for they will find it embarrassing if all the food is consumed. When you have had enough, just say so. Or you will always overeat!
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
1. What is the real difference on dinner table between China and the West?
| A．On Chinese dinner table, chopsticks replace knife and fork. |
| B．The host will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes. |
| C．You have your own plate of food in the West while in China everyone shares the dishes. |
| A．Cold dishes, main courses, soup, and staple food. |
| B．Cold dishes, staple food, main courses, and soup. |
| C．Soup, cold dishes, main courses, and staple food. |
| A．taste different dishes |
| B．put food into the plates of their guests |
| C．show the friendship and politeness |
| A．wasted | B．eaten up | C．polluted |
【推荐3】Kites are one of the most popular Chinese inventions. Used for both fun and work, Chinese kites are an important part of Chinese culture and history. It is believed that the invention of the kite was an important step in the invention of the airplane.
The first kite was invented in ancient China around 3,000 years ago. And the first Chinese kites were made out of wood, but once paper was invented, paper kites became popular. Bamboo and silk are also used in making kites.
Early Chinese kites were not toys. They were actually used for military（军事的）purposes. The first written account（记述）of kite flying took place in China around 200BC during the Han Dynasty（朝代）when a Chinese General flew a kite over the wall of a city he planned to attack. He did so to measure the distance.
In ancient China, superstition was an important aspect（方面）of kite flying. For example, during the Qing Dynasty, it was believed that flying a kite and then letting it go was a way to let go of trouble, bad luck, and illness. It was considered bad luck to pick up a kite that was lost by someone else.
Kites became a form of recreation（娱乐）during the Tang Dynasty among the wealthy family. Once the paper kites were invented, the popularity of kites spread to the common Chinese.
Today, every year in April an event takes place in Weifang. Shandong Province. People come from around the world to take part in the Weifang Kite Festival.
1. Which of the following is NOT true according to passage?| A．Kites are believed to have influenced the invention of planes. |
| B．Kites have been around for about 3,000 years. |
| C．Kites were first invented for people to have fun. |
| A．Wood and silk | B．bamboo and paper | C．silver and cotton |
| A．迷信 | B．神话 | C．超能力 |
| A．During the Han Dynasty | B．During the Tang Dynasty | C．During the Qing Dynasty |
| A．The materials of kites | B．The festival of kites | C．The history of kites. |
Can you imagine a life without salt? No, salt is very important to us, and we need salt in our food every day.Without enough salt in the food, you will get ill. Animals need salt, too. They need salt to grow strong and faster.
Most of the salt in our country comes from the sea. People dig very big pools and let seawater in. When the sundries up the water, people can get salt from the ground. The salt is white, clean and beautiful.
There are a lot of salt wells in Sichuan Province of China. A salt well is much like a water well. People bringthe well water up to the ground and then dry it in big jars over fire. In this way, they get salt.
We can also get salt from salt mines. A salt mine may be found under the ground. Some years ago, people inJiangxi Province found a big salt mine and soon opened it. People there don’t need salt from other places anymore.
In the northwest of our country, there are a great number of salt lakes. Some of these lakes are very big. The saltin a big lake will be enough for all the people in our country for as long as hundreds of years.
1. Most of the salt in our country comes from _____.| A．the sea | B．salt mines | C．salt lakes | D．salt wells |
①the sea ②salt mines ③salt lakes ④salt wells
| A．①② | B．①②③ | C．②③ | D．①②③④ |
| A．People in Jiangxi Province need salt from other places now. |
| B．In the northwest of our country, people get salt from a lot of salt wells. |
| C．People in Sichuan Province of China get salt by drying up the seawater. |
| D．Both human beings and animals need salt. |
【推荐2】 Everyone has got two personalities--the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don't show your secret personality when you' re awake because you can control your behavior, but when you're asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people change their position very often. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.
If you go to sleep on your back, you're a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas. You don't like to upset people, so you never express your real feelings. You're quite shy and you aren't very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive person. You worry a lot and you're always easily upset. You're very stubborn（顽固的）, but you aren't very ambitious. You usually live for today not for tomorrow. This means that you enjoy having a good time.
If you sleep curled up（卷曲）, you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so you're often defensive. You’re shy and you don't normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You're easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually gotten a well-balanced personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You're usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel worried, but you don't often get depressed. You always say what you think even if it annoys people.
1. According to the writer, you naturally show your secret and real personality_________.| A．only in a normal night. |
| B．only when you're sleeping |
| C．only when you refuse to show yourself to the world. |
| D．only when you change sleeping position. |
| A．He or she is always open with others. |
| B．He or she always likes new ideas earlier than others. |
| C．He or she is always easily upset. |
| D．He or she tends to believe in others. |
| A．Confident | B．Careful | C．Selfish | D．Anxious sometimes. |
| A．He/she would rather be alone than communicate with you. |
| B．He/she is rarely ready to help you. |
| C．He/she prefers staying at home to going out. |
| D．He/she wouldn't like to get help from you. |
【推荐3】WeRun(微信运动) is an app in WeChat. It lets users see their daily step counts. One of its most popular things is a leaderboard(排行榜) among friends. Users can see how their results are compared (比较) with others.
As a growing number of people use WeRun, we wonder what we can learn about a person just from knowing his step counts. Here we take a closer look:
Fewer than 50 steps: Anyone who takes fewer than 50 steps in one day may be ill or sad. Or maybe he or she is just too lazy to get out of the bed!
50-500 steps: It's easy to have a few hundred steps. Even going shopping on foot will be enough.
501-8,000 steps: Most students and workers will take between 501 and 8,000 steps a day. These step counts are often in the middle of the leaderboard. But your parents will always give your step counts a thumbs-up (It's their job to care about you!).
8,001-30,000 steps: Salespeople and members of film workers are likely to take these many steps a day, as they are always on the move.
More than 30,000 steps: Mostly, these step counts can be on the top of the leaderboard. They're postmen, porters, cleaners and so on. They're the people who help us live easy and comfortable lives and keep our environment nice and clean.
Nowadays, more and more people use WeRun, from the young to the old. To some degree(在某种程度上) , a person's WeRun data (数据) can show his or her character and personal life.
1. According to the passage, what is WeRun?| A．It's a popular game in WeChat. | B．It's an app to make people walk more. |
| C．It's an app in WeChat to count users' daily steps. | D．It's a leaderboard in WeChat to compare users' step counts. |
| A．50-500. | B．501-8,000. | C．8,001-30,000. | D．More than 30,000. |
| A．点赞 | B．转发 | C．收藏 | D．评论 |
| A．More and more people start to use WeRun. |
| B．WuRun data can be the only way to know someone's personal life. |
| C．Young people don't like to use WeRun. |
| D．Cleaners often have 501-8,000 steps every day. |
My parents and I moved to England two years ago. I’m studying in a middle school in London. Now I get used to the life here.
Food
In China, our food is a little hot and salty, but I like it because I think such kind of food tastes nice. I still remember the first meal that I ate at school in England. It included a kind of soup that tasted terrible. I didn’t have it at all.
Customs
In China, when we meet someone for the first time, we shake hands. I was so surprised when my friend’s mother gave me a kiss when I entered his house.
Transport
Socializing (社交)
I remember I went to a friend’s house with a big cake for the first time two days after I moved to England. The boy’s mother stared at the cake for a while.
| A．When I want to go somewhere in China, I just ride my bicycle. |
| B．I felt so embarrassed (尴尬的) that my face went red at that moment. |
| C．Then a friend advised me to try some cheese and biscuits. |
| D．She was trying to be polite, but I knew from her face that I had taken something wrong. |
| E．But I will never forget my first few weeks of living in a different country. |
Have you ever tried to stand an egg on its end? Well, it’s said that every Spring Equinox (春分) you will be able to balance an egg on one end.
The Spring Equinox, or Vernal Equinox, is the first day of spring. It falls on March 20 this year. The angle (角度) of the Earth facing towards the Sun changes throughout the year, and it also changes the length of our days. On the first day of spring, the Earth’s axis (轴) is perpendicular (垂直的) to the Sun.
The saying that an egg can stand on one end might come from a Chinese idea. It’s very difficult to balance an egg because the yoke (蛋黄) is off-center.
However, this is not true. If you focus long enough, you can actually do this any day of the year!
Some people think that the imperfections (缺点) of the egg are what help it balance, but this might just make it a little easier.
Even though the old saying is wrong, go ahead and try it for yourself during the Spring Equinox or any other day!
| A．There is some truth to this. |
| B．And it will usually just fall over. |
| C．Really all you need is a lot of patience, |
| D．It’s just because of a psychological hint (心理暗示). |
| E．There’s nothing special about the Spring Equinox. |
| F．This means that the length of day and night is exactly the same. |
【推荐3】Have you ever given gifts to your friends? Just like Chinese, Westerners give gifts on many vacations, such as on birthdays, at Christmas and some other holidays. Although gifts are always welcome, it is not necessary to exchange（交换）gifts at any time. People usually exchange gifts only among friends.
Usually when you are invited to dinner, you don’t need to bring gifts except on special or big occasions（场合）. For example, if your friend asks you to have dinner at his or her home on the weekend, you don’t have to bring a gift. But if you wish to bring something, the gifts should be small, simple and cheap. You might bring some sweets or some small toys for the children, or a book, some flowers, a bottle of wine for the host. If you want to make your gifts special, you can bring something from your hometown, like Chinese tea, Chinese paintings, Chinese paper cuttings or other things like that, or even you can cook a Chinese dish and bring it with you.
Westerners prefer to open gifts at once, and admire it. They would thank you and make some comments（评论）on the gift’s beauty so that you know they like your gift very much.
1. From the passage, we can know that westerners _________.| A．give gifts at any time and any places | B．usually exchange gifts with their friends |
| C．never bring gifts when they are invited to dinner | D．always give big and expensive gifts to their friends |
| A．some candies | B．some flowers | C．a book | D．a bottle of wine |
| A．Few westerners like to open the gift as soon as they get it. |
| B．You’d better not say anything about the gift when you get it. |
| C．A gift from your hometown will be very special and welcome. |
| D．Chinese people exchange gifts with their friends not very often. |
| A．批评 | B．想象 | C．怀念 | D．赞赏 |
| A．making gifts for friends | B．the features of the gifts |
| C．giving gifts in Western countries | D．time and place to exchange gift |
