1 . Every country has certain cultural patterns making it unique. Of course, habits and customs between cultures and countries tend to overlap(重叠). The popularity of social media, for instance, ignores borders and breaks down cultural differences. Technology has made the world a much smaller and culturally similar place. However, when looking at a foreign country, we will always find differences between our traditions and theirs. Young Italians and young Americans, for example, though alike in many respects, have also some pronounced differences, especially when it comes to work, pastimes and sports.

Most American teens have part-time jobs through high school and college. Youths in Italy tend not to. The reasons behind this are multifaceted. It is, to begin with, rather hard in Italy to find the type of part-time jobs students usually take up. Moreover, there is also a different cultural attitude to take into consideration, especially when thinking of certain parts of Italy. Young Italians like to enjoy life to the full and feel there will be time to work once they become adults, hence the lack of interest in finding odd jobs while still in school. Like the old saying goes, some Italians work to Live, while some Americans often live to work.

In a lot of ways, young Italians and Americans spend their free time in a similar fashion. Listening to music, watching movies, hanging out, practicing sports and surfing the Internet are all common ways to pass some free time. Italians, especially, make a point of going out and being social, often choosing between pizzeria or birrerie (place for pizza or beer), which stay open late. Italians often pile into a couple of cars and go out in a big group. In general, American teens participate in a lot of extracurricular(课外的) activities, many often through school, while Italians may not take part in so many.

When going out, Italian teens tend to meet and gather on the streets of their cities or towns, something not as common in the United States, especially in highly populated areas. This very Italian habit can be linked to the urban arrangement of Italian towns. Many of them date back thousands of years and feature central piazzas(广场) and areas built around historical sites that have now become gathering places for the young. If you’re in Italy, don’t be surprised by the sight of hundreds gathered in a piazza or on the street, laughing and drinking the night away.

1. The passage is mainly about ________.

A．the unique lifestyles shared by American and Italian teens

B．the relationship between young people of America and Italy

C．some customs and habits of the Americans and Italians

D．some differences in tradition between young Americans and Italians

2. By saying “some Italians work to live, while some Americans often live to work”, the author most probably wants to tell us that ________.

A．Italians have a better life attitude toward working

B．Americans are more diligent and thus live a better life

C．Americans and Italians both find it hard to locate a satisfying job

D．Italians and Americans have different choices regarding work

3. According to paragraph 3, which of the following statements is true?

A．American teens practice sports and surf the Internet to pass time.

B．Italian youth take an active part in extracurricular activities.

C．American teens like to drive out and social together in big groups.

D．Italian youth enjoy pizza and beer because they are cheap.

4. If there is one more paragraph in this passage, what will it most probably be about?

A．The working conditions of the young Americans and Italians.

B．The differences in practicing sports between teens of the two nations.

C．The central piazzas and areas built around historical sites in Italy.

D．The urban arrangement of the highly populated American cities.