Grandparents’ Day is a warm holiday that allows children and adults an opportunity to show their appreciation for their Grandparents. Grandparents’ Day and the weeks just before it are the time when children all over the country start thinking about what to get their Grandmothers and Grandfathers as presents for Grandparents’ Day. Of course, giving presents is just one way of celebrating Grandparents’ Day, but how to give gifts requires planning.
Choosing presents for Grandparents’ Day can be a very difficult task. Because Grandparents’ Day and holidays of its kind are meant to honor some of the most important people in our lives, the task of choosing presents that will be appropriate can be challenging. You don’t know what they like and what can show how much you love and care for them. Especially for those children who do not have much money, finding the suitable Grandparents’ Day present at the right price is a very difficult task.
One solution to the difficulty is not to buy anything at all. Rather than buying a material item that is almost sure to be short of expressing the depth and sincerity (诚心诚意) of your feelings for your Grandmother or Grandfather, consider another kind of choice entirely. One way that you can show a Grandparent that you really care is to make them something. A handmade card or flower or a written poem can go a long way towards expressing your love on Grandparents’ Day. Of course, there are also a lot more other ways to celebrate Grandparents’ Day than by just giving presents to your parents.
1. What does Grandparents’ Day mean to people? (No more than 10 words)2. What is challenging when you choose presents? (No more than 10 words)
3. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “appropriate”? (one word)
4. What gifts can best show your love to your grandparents? (No more than 10 words)
5. What gift would you prepare for Grandparents’ Day? And Why? (No more than 25 words)
For millions of Facebook users, choosing which photo to use for an online profile is an important decision. According to a study by researchers at the UT Dallas Center, the photos we select may reflect individual preferences, but they also appear to reflect more deeply rooted, unconscious cultural differences. Previous research has shown that culture can affect not only language and custom, but also how we experience the world and process information. Western cultures, for example, condition people to think of themselves as highly independent entities (实体), whereas East Asian cultures stress collectivism and interdependence.
Dr. Denise Park, co-director of the Center at UT Dallas, and former graduate student Dr. Chih-Mao Huang of the University of Illinois, were curious about whether these patterns of cultural influence extend to cyberspace. In a paper published in the International Journal of Psychology, they examined the profile photographs of more than 500 active Facebook users from the United States and East Asia. Overall, they found that profile photos of Americans are more likely to focus on the individual’s face, while the profiles of East Asians tend to less emphasize the face and include more background features. Americans also show greater smile intensity compared to East Asian Facebook users.
The findings show marked cultural differences in the focus of attention among East Asian and American Facebook users. Moreover, they echo previous research on cultural influences on visual sense, attention, and reasoning in the offline world.
“We believe these findings relate to a cultural difference to be more individualistic and independent in the US and more communal and interdependent in Asia,” said Park.
The research also found that cultural influences over our self-presentation online can shift over time and from place to place. In one of the study samples, Americans studying in Japan and Japanese studying in the United States both showed a tendency to adjust their profile photos to the general preferences of their host country.
“Facebook constitutes an extended social context in which personal profiles mirror various individual characteristics, private thoughts, and social behaviors,” noted Huang. “As such, the study presents a new approach to investigate cognition and behaviors across cultures by using Facebook as a data collection platform.”
1. What may an online profile photo reflect?2. According to the research, how are American and East Asian Facebook users different in choosing their profile photos?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
In one of the study samples, Americans studying in Japan showed a tendency to adjust their profile photos to the general preferences of America.
4. Apart from cultural differences, what other factors might influence one’s choice of profile photo on social media? And give some examples. (In about 40 words)
Culture Shock
Culture shock is the emotional and mental reaction to being in a completely new cultural environment. This is often a very difficult experience for many people and it consist of several stages of feelings until someone successfully adapts to being in the new culture.
The “honeymoon” stage of culture shock is usually the first stage that people go through when surrounded by different cultural values and lifestyles. During this stage, people often have very positive images of their new cultural surroundings. They tend to view these in an idealistic way and ignore or minimize problems. This stage quickly gives way to the second stage, called “the frustration phase”.
During the “frustration stage”, the newcomer begins to experience a more negative view of their cultural surroundings. There is a definite frustration that things that should be easy are still difficult. For example, people who may have been enjoyed learning the basics of a language during the honeymoon phase would now find it a chore to try and communicate with locals in the frustration phase.
After the frustration stage ends, the adjustment phase begins. This marks the time when newcomers begin to adjust themselves to the new culture. They begin to accept the differences around them and the challenges of everyday life. This opens the door to two possible outcomes— mastery and rejection.
Those newcomers who enter the “mastery stage” have completely accepted the values and beliefs of the new culture. Those who choose the “rejection phase” have decided not to accept it. They usually choose to permanently withdraw from the culture through isolation or returning home.
Culture shock is a very emotional experience for most people and there are many symptoms. It is important to recognize these symptoms in newcomers and understand the reasons for these feelings.
1. Culture shock refers to how people2. People usually take a(n)
3. In which of the four stages do people feel worst, according to the passage?
4. The following paragraph is a short summary of the passage. Fill in each blank with no more than 8 words.
People experience
8 March 2016 is the 106th International Women’s Day (IWD). Besides sharing your greetings to all women that you love and expressing thankfulness to those who love you, there are 10 things you should know about this special day.
While IWD is now largely aimed at inspiring women across the world and celebrating their achievements, its roots are in movements struggling for better pay and voting rights.
The first National Women’s Day was marked on 28 February 1909 in the United States after a declaration by the Socialist Party of America.
During an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen the following year, Clara Zetkin, leader of the “Women’s Office” for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, suggested the idea of an International Women’s Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day. The idea was met with no disagreement.
1911 saw IWD honoured for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on March 19. Over a million people attended gatherings campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public offices and end discrimination (歧视).
On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women celebrated their first IWD on the last Sunday in February 1913. In 1965, it was declared as a non—working day in the USSR.
IWD was changed to 8 March that same year and has remained the global date for the event ever since.
In 1975, the United Nations gave official permission to IWD and began sponsoring it.
The United States now names the whole month of March as “Women’s History Month”.
IWD is also an official holiday in 15 countries including China, Ukraine and Vietnam.
Over the past few years Google have marked the occasion with a “Google Doodle”, changing their logo on the search engine’s homepage to reflect the occasion.
1. What might be the possible title of the passage?2. What was the original aim of IWD?
3. In which year was the idea of an International Women’s Day suggested?
4. Since when has IWD been celebrated on the same day?
5. How many countries set IWD as an official holiday?
Many high schools and colleges with a football team in the United States usually have a homecoming day. This can be the most important event of the year next to graduation. Students plan homecoming day for many weeks. When the day arrives, they begin before dawn to decorate the schools. There are signs to wish luck to the team and many other signs to welcome back the graduates from other years. Many people still come to homecoming clubs to build booths and sell lemonade,apples or sandwiches. Some clubs help to welcome visitors. During the day people like to look for teachers that they remember from long ago. Often they see old friends and they talk together about those happy years in school. Everyone soon comes to watch the football game. When the game is half over, the band comes onto the field and plays school songs. Another important moment is when the homecoming queen / king appears. All the students vote for another student who is popular. It is a great honor to become __________. Homecoming is a happy day. Even if the team loses, the students still enjoy homecoming. Some stay at the school to dance, and others go to a party. For everyone it is a day to remember for a long, long time.
1. What is the best title of the passage? (Please answer within 10 words.)2. Of all the events,what are the two things that all the students do on this day? (Please answer within 15words.)
3. Please fill in the blank with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. (Please answer within 10 words.)
4. Why do the students still enjoy homecoming even if the team loses? (Please answer within 15 words.)
5. Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
Food as Communication
We usually understand when someone speaks or writes to us, and many gestures (手势) and facial expressions have meaning, too. But have you ever considered what and how we eat as a form of communication? In many cultures, people sit together and share food at mealtimes, which is a common tradition that can promote unity and trust. Food can also play an important role in a family or culture’s celebrations. The foods we eat—and when and how we eat them—are often unique to a particular culture or may even differ between areas within one country.
In most cultures, bread represents delicious food. It is also one of the most commonly shared foods in the world. Sharing bread is a common symbol of companionship and togetherness. In fact, the word companion comes from the Latin roots com- (together) and panis (bread). Many cultures also celebrate birthdays and marriages with decorated cakes that are cut and shared among the guests. Early forms of cake were simply a kind of bread, so this tradition has its roots in the custom of sharing bread.
There are foods like bread in other cultures. In Greece, people share a special cake called vasilopita. A coin is baked into the cake, which stands for success in the New Year for the person who receives it. Most of the foods eaten during the Chinese New Year have significance. Sometimes this is based on their shape; for example, long noodles symbolize long life. The symbolism can also be based on the sound of the word in Chinese; for example, people give out oranges because the word for “orange” sounds like the word for “wealth”. In many cultures, round foods such as grapes, bread, and moon cakes are eaten at welcome celebrations to symbolize family unity.
Food is essential for life, so it is not surprising that it is such an important part of different cultures around the world. The food people eat during celebrations may have a long history and can symbolize many things, but sharing food is one custom that almost all humans have in common.
1. Why does the author regard eating food as a form of communication?①
2. How do people celebrate birthdays and marriages in many cultures?
②
3. What does the author mainly talk about in Paragraph 3?
③
4. Many of the food traditions mentioned in the passage are very old. Why are they still important today?
④
7 . Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
There is no doubt that China is a country with high moral values. It has never attacked another country, has one of the lowest rates of violent crimes and is deeply concerned with the social and economic welfare of its people.
But when it comes to animal rights, China may well fail Gandhi test. There are no laws against the killing of dogs and the sale of dog meat in China. In fact the serving of dog meat in Chinese restaurants has increased in recent years.
People who eat dog meat argue that dogs have been eaten in China for thousand of years and dog meat has “health benefits”.
There is, however, a strong argument against waiting dogs. Recently, some Chinese animal rights activists stopped a truck carrying about 500 dogs and saved the poor animals from being sold and served as food in restaurants. These people that dogs are not meant to be eaten but loved.
根据短文内容,判断以下句子的正误,正确选择 (A)错误 选择(B)。
1. China has only one law to prevent killing and eating dogs
2. China has a long history of eating dogs.
3. More dog meat is served in Chinese restaurants in recent years.
4. No one believes that eating dogs is beneficial health.
5. Recently some people stopped a truck and saved about 500 dogs.