1 . Sanyuesan, celebrated on the 3rd day of the 3rd month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, holds cultural importance for many ethnic groups across China. Among these, the Zhuang people from Guangxi have kept their traditions through generations. They gather to celebrate Sanyuesan with lots of fun activities like throwing embroidered (刺绣的) balls, dancing with bamboo poles (杆), and playing lusheng music.
These activities not only form a sense of unity but also serve as a lively expression of the Zhuang culture. The Zhuang people also have some special traditions related to food. They make a dish called five-color glutinous rice, also known as five-color rice, which is made with rice of five different colors: black, red, yellow, purple, and white. They cook this kind of rice for important festivals like the Tomb Sweeping Festival or Sanyuesan. Every family in Wuming, a place in Guangxi, makes this dish to share with their guests. This rice also means goodwill and luck, as Zhuang families share it with neighbors during important milestones such as the birth of a child or the move to a new home.
Moreover, the Zhuang people also believe in the power of nature. They love maple leaves because they think they bring peace and happiness. On Sanyuesan, the Zhuang people will collect maple branches and put them at their door or around their house. Some even dye their rice red with maple leaves. This tradition shows the Zhuang people’s deep-rooted belief in the connection between humans and nature, making sure the well-being and safety of their families for generations to come.
1. Which activity do Zhuang people do on Sanyuesan?| A．Enjoying bamboo rice. | B．Moving to a new home. |
| C．Playing traditional music. | D．Dancing with maple leaves. |
| A．Serve it to the guests. | B．Keep it for themselves. |
| C．Save it underground. | D．Throw it into the river. |
| A．Color. | B．Find. |
| C．Make. | D．Name. |
| A．Five-Color Rice: The Important Cultural Food. |
| B．Maple Leaves: Nature’s Influence on Tradition. |
| C．Keeping Traditions: Sanyuesan Festivities Still Alive. |
| D．Celebrating Sanyuesan: Zhuang Traditions in Guangxi. |
2 . Certain things you do at one place might be totally OK. But you do the same thing in another place and it does not come through at all or it might even be totally misunderstood.
To start with, attention is paid to personal space by Finns (芬兰人) a lot. When waiting in line, they keep one meter or more from each other. If you are standing too close to someone while talking, you will notice that the other person is trying to get a bit further away from you.
Also, touching strangers in Finland is not allowed. They might feel uncomfortable. For most Finns, physical contact while talking even among friends is not common. They do not give kisses on the cheek when greeting each other.
Finns do not talk about their salaries (薪水) and it is very impolite to ask even friends about how much they earn.
| A．Second, do not make eye contact with Finns. |
| B．Because of all these, Finns are often considered unfriendly. |
| C．Here are some rules you should know about when you are in Finland. |
| D．Mostly the greeting is saying hi or shaking hands. |
| E．Physical contact might make the other person feel uncomfortable. |
| F．It is simply considered a part of their personal space. |
(Jessica (A), an exchange student, meets Li Ming (B) at school.)
A: Hi, Li Ming. Zhou Ting invited me to her house this weekend, but I don’t know much about the customs. What should I take?
B: Maybe you can take some fruit or flowers.
A: Good idea.
B: When you meet her family, you are supposed to say hello and shake hands with them.
A:
B: Yes, it’s important to be on time.
A: OK. Thank you.
B:
(Jessica came back after her visiting.)
A: Li Ming, I was so sad because I was late for dinner.
B:
A: My bike was broken on the way. Luckily, her family were so kind.
B: Great! What do you think of the food there?
A:
B: I’m happy you like Chinese food.
Do you know table manners in Colombia? If not, let’s have a look.
1. The knife should be in your
2. It is considered polite to
3. The English word “
4. There are some mistakes in the sentences in the text. I can correct one of them like this:
5. The text is mainly about
Brown shows how not to kiss
When greeting your friends, how many kisses do you plant on their cheeks? It’s a puzzle shared by the socially shy and the outgoing. Whether to do the one-cheek brush, or to go for several kisses and appear over-enthusiastic?
Obviously, this is a problem the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown shares. Photographers caught an awkward moment when he greeted German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a meeting of European leaders in Berlin last week.
Brown was no doubt aiming for a casual kiss on Merkel’s cheek, but the kiss instead appeared to fall on the German leader’s nose.
So, what is the proper way to kiss others in greeting? In Britain people usually kiss each other once on the cheek. There are no rules about which cheek to kiss. In the past English gentlemen used to kiss a woman’s hand in greeting, but between males a masculine handshake was considered good manners. The handshake has survived time, but kissing the hand has not.
Some formal British greetings, however, have survived. When a person is given the honor of meeting the Queen, a man is supposed to bow to her while women are supposed to curtsy.
In France, the rules are different. People kiss both friends of the same age as well as their family members. Most French give two kisses – one on each cheek.
The Netherlands has the most complicated rules. The Dutch kiss begins and ends on the same cheek. Three kisses are expected, but when greeting an elderly or close family member, there’ll usually be a few more. Just remember, the right cheek always comes first.
Kissing in Italy is only used to greet very close friends or family. The number of kisses is optional, and as there are no rules on which cheek to kiss first, there are often clashes.
1. What did photographers take during the meeting between Gordon Brown and Angela Merkel?| A．Gordon Brown kissing Angela Merkel on the cheek. |
| B．An awkward moment between Gordon Brown and Angela Merkel. |
| C．Angela Merkel avoiding a kiss from Gordon Brown. |
| D．European leaders discussing social greetings. |
| A．Kissing both cheeks. | B．Shaking hands with a firm grip. |
| C．Bowing for men and curtsying for women. | D．Kissing once on the cheek. |
| A．With a firm handshake. |
| B．By kissing both friends and family on both cheeks. |
| C．With a bow for men and curtsy for women. |
| D．By kissing on the nose. |
| A．The Dutch always give three kisses on both cheeks. |
| B．Greetings involve a kiss on one cheek only. |
| C．The number of kisses is uncertain in the Netherlands. |
| D．Elderly family members are exempt from kisses in the Netherlands. |
| A．The cultural differences in greetings, particularly involving kisses, in different countries. |
| B．The awkward meeting between Gordon Brown and Angela Merkel. |
| C．The historical evolution of greetings in different cultures, with a focus on formal British greetings. |
| D．A comparison of greeting customs, including handshakes and kisses. |
Everyone is Irish on St Patrick's Day
Every spring, usually on March 17, people in many countries wear silly hats, dance, drink and have fun.
Most of these people will have some connection with Ireland, and all of them will be celebrating St Patrick's Day.
The holiday has become one of the most popular events in Ireland, Britain, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. For this reason, the saying "Everyone wants to be Irish on St Patrick's Day," is now truer than ever before.
One reason people enjoy this festival is that eating and drinking are a main part of celebrating St Patrick's Day. Cities all over the world, from Dublin to New York, hold big street parades with bands, outdoor banquets and other performances.
Irish people have been celebrating St Patrick's Day for thousands of years. Nowadays, people dress up in green clothes and paint three-leaf clovers on their faces and clothes.
Green is the national symbol of Ireland and the three-leaf clover is a symbol that is supposed to bring good luck. St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Although he is very famous, little is known about his life. One legend says he drove all the snakes out from Ireland, but this is probably a symbolic story, as Ireland was never home to any snakes at all.
In any case, although it is a religious festival (people go to church in the morning), it is the parties and celebrations that follow which make this such a famous event.
1. What is the main reason people enjoy celebrating St Patrick's Day, according to the passage?| A．Wearing silly hats. | B．Participating in street parades. |
| C．Eating and drinking. | D．Dressing up in green clothes. |
| A．People want to visit Ireland on St Patrick's Day. |
| B．People from various countries celebrate St Patrick's Day. |
| C．Irish people are known for wearing silly hats. |
| D．St Patrick's Day is a religious festival. |
| A．Green is a fashionable color. | B．It is a tradition in many countries. |
| C．St Patrick wore green. | D．Green is the national symbol of Ireland. |
| A．St Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. | B．St Patrick was a famous dancer. |
| C．St Patrick invented the three-leaf clover. | D．St Patrick organized big street parades. |
| A．Going to church in the morning. | B．Dressing up in funny hats. |
| C．Parties and celebrations. | D．Painting three-leaf clovers. |
1. What is the article about?
| A．Western cultures | B．Table manners | C．How to make western friends. |
| A．Cleaning your nose. | B．Cleaning your face | C．Cleaning your hands or mouth |
| A．Stand on the chair |
| B．Put your arms on the table |
| C．Put your napkin on the table when you finish eating. |
| A．On the edge of the plate | B．On the edge of the table | C．On your napkin |
| A．With hands | B．With knives | C．With a fork |
| if do like should surprise country because where allow directly |
In the eyes of many foreigners, Chinese are the best hosts (主人) and the worst guests.
However, Western hosts sometimes look rude (粗鲁的) in the eyes of Chinese guests. It is
In China, guests are almost
My wife’s mother, a very kind 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
In most North American homes, if you are a guest, and the hosts are not smokers, you
In a word, no matter
A simple handshake, a peck on the cheek, a respectful bow—there are so many ways to greet people in different countries. Read this article to know more about the greeting customs in different cultures, and make sure to greet people in the right way next time you visit one of these countries.
French people greet each other with a handshake, but close friends kiss each other on both cheeks when they meet. They do this when meeting and before leaving. In a social situation in Ghana, it’s polite to greet everyone in the room. A handshake is used in greeting. And the palm must directly touch the palm of the other. It’s considered disrespectful to touch the back of the hand. In Brazil, kissing women on the cheek is a common way of greeting. In a formal situation, a handshake is often done to show respect. Men should shake hands before and after meeting, and once they have become familiar with each other, a light hug is often given to each other.
There are several ways of greeting people in the Philippines. An elderly person places his or her right hand on the forehead of a child to bless the latter. This is called “mano”. Relatives and family members greet each other with a kiss on the cheek. Friends greet each other with a polite nod or a handshake.
1. French people kiss each other on both cheeks when they meet for the first time.2. In a social situation, it’s polite for Ghanaians to greet everyone in the room.
3. In Brazil, men should shake hands before and after meeting.
4. Relatives greet each other with a polite nod or a handshake in the Philippines.
5. In different countries, the ways of greeting people are the same.
A Story About Manners | |
| Where did it happen? | In a restaurant in |
| What the bad manner was? | A man wanted to take off his |
| What happened in the restaurant? | The man said the |
| A．The US | B．Britain | C．Canada |
| A．coat | B．shoes | C．jacket |
| A．His friend | B．The head waiter | C．A customer |
| A．president | B．queen | C．official |
| A．Last month | B．Last week | C．Last year |
