1 . Some people are so rude. Who sends an e-mail or a text message that just says “Thank you?” Who leaves a voice mail message rather than texts you? Who asks for a fact easily found on the Internet?     1    

Maybe I’m the rude one for not appreciating life’s little courtesies(礼节). But many social norms(规范) just don’t make sense to people drowning in digital communication.

Take the thank-you note. Daniel Post Senning, a coauthor of Emily Post’s Etiquette，asked, “At what point does showing appreciation outweigh the cost?”

    2     Think of how long it takes to listen to one of those messages. In texts, you don’t have to declare who you are or even say hello. E-mail, too, is slower than a text. The worst are those who leave a voice mail and then send an e-mail message to tell you they left a voice mail.

This isn’t the first time technology has changed our manners,     3     Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, suggested that people say, " Ahoy! "Finally, hello won out, and the victory sped up the greeting's use in face-to-face communications.

In the age of the smart phone, there is no reason to ask once-acceptable questions about:the weather forecast, a business’s phone number, or directions to a house, a restaurant, or an office, which can be easily found on a digital map.     4     And when you answer, they respond with a thank-you e-mail.

How to handle these differing standards? Easy: Consider your audience. Some people,especially older ones, appreciate a thank-you message.     5     In traditional societies, the young learn from the old. But in modern societies, the old can also learn from the young. Here's hoping that politeness never goes out of fashion but that time-wasting forms of communication do.

A. Then there is voice mail.
B. Others, like me, want no reply.
C. But people still ask these things.
D. Don’t these people realize that they’re wasting your time?
E. Won't new technology bring about changes in our daily life?
F. Face-to-face communication makes comprehension much easier.
G. When the telephone was invented, people didn't know how to greet a caller.

2 . Growing up in Puerto Rico, our family was no different from so many others. My parents got married after my father came back when the war ended. Both of my parents were struggling with the hard economic realities of the time. But somehow, they found time to cherish those cultural values that shaped our everyday life.

In our daily life, we celebrated together with our friends or family members every birthday, every graduation, and all holidays with music and dancing, and typical foods. When we visited our family in the countryside—a trip that took about two hours in a car, with five children fighting as to who would get a window or the front seat —we would break into song, and somehow the trip would turn into one full of happiness and fun. We would sing not only interesting children’s songs but also beautiful love songs — songs about the love of our country though we didn’t understand the meaning of the words many times.

I came to Philadelphia for the first time in 1973 to do a residency(实习) in family medicine. I remember the many hours of work. I was facing issues of life and death and suffering the clearly social unfairness and issues of poverty and race. These were all worsened by my feeling of cultural differences.

An important turning point in my life happened one Saturday night when I attended a concert of Puerto Rico singer and composer Antonio Caban Vale. The music showed my familiar rhythms, and the words spoke to my heart. I had found a space to express, celebrate, and share my culture in Philadelphia. Therefore, I believe diversity is seen as an advantage and not as a disadvantage. As a Puerto Rican, I am a mixture of races and I believe in my strength because of this.

1. What do we know about the author’s family?

A．They lived a well-off life.

B．They suffered a lot from war.

C．They were tired of family activities.

D．They took cultural values seriously.

2. Why does the author mention the trip in Paragraph 2?

A．To prove her pride in her culture.

B．To show fun brought by her culture.

C．To express her love for the country.

D．To show the fight between her siblings.

3. What added to the author’s depressing life in Philadelphia?

A．Dangers as a doctor.	B．Prejudice from the rich.
C．Cultural shock.	D．Low payment.

4. What did the concert make the author aware of?

A．The excitement of the rhythms.

B．The value of the lyrics.

C．The advantage of cultural diversity.

D．The strength of believing in oneself.

3 . The Sahara Festival is a celebration of the very recent past. The three-day event is not fixed to the same dates each year, but generally takes place in November or December. It is well attended by tourists, but even better attended by the locals.   

During the opening ceremonies, after the official greetings from the government leaders, people who attend the festival begin to march smartly before the viewing stands, and white camels transport their riders across the sands. Horsemen from different nations display their beautiful clothes and their fine horsemanship. One following another, groups of musicians and dancers from all over the Sahara take their turn to show off their wonderful traditional culture. Groups of men in blue and yellow play horns and beat drums as they dance in different designs. On their knees in the sand, a group of women in long dark dresses dance with their hair: their long, dark, shiny hair is thrown back and forth in the wind to the rhythm of their dance.   

The local and visiting Italian dogs are anxious to run after hares. The crowd is on its feet for the camel races. Camels and riders run far into the distance, and then return to the finish Line in front of the cheering people.   

Towards the evening, there comes the grand finale of the opening day, an extremely exciting horserace. All the riders run very fast on horseback. Some riders hang off the side of their saddles（马鞍）. Some even ride upside down—their legs and feet straight up in the air—all at full speed. Others rush down the course together, men arm in arm, on different horses. On and on they went. So fast and so wonderful!

1. The Sahara Festival is a festival which _____.

A．has a very long history in North Africa

B．is held in the same place on the same day

C．is attended mainly by the people in the Sahara

D．is celebrated mostly by travelers from different countries

2. Before the races begin, _____ take part in the activities during the opening ceremonies.

A．musicians, dancers, horses and hares

B．camel riders, musicians, dogs and hares

C．horsemen, dancers, camels and dogs

D．musicians, officials, camels and horses

3. The underlined word “finale” in the fourth paragraph most probably means the _____ of the opening day.

A．first part

B．last part

C．middle

D．whole

4. This passage mainly tells readers _____.

A．how animals race on the first and the last days of the Sahara Festival

B．how people celebrate during the three-day Sahara Festival

C．what takes place at the closing ceremonies of the Sahara Festival

D．what happens on the opening day of the Sahara Festival

4 . The traditional American school year begins in late August or early September.It ends in May or June, followed by summer vacation.    1    Because long ago, young people had to help their families harvest summer crops. At least this is what people today may think.    2    A recent report from an education policy center at Indiana University explored the historical roots of the traditional school calendar.In the early days of the United States, children were not required to attend school .School calendars depended on local needs.    3    They worked on family farms during the other months. City schools were often open much longer, some for eleven months of the year.After the Civil War, more and more people saw the need for a system of required education.    4    Many city schools wanted a shorter year and a longer summer break. The schools were often crowded. There was no modern air conditioning. Hot days would make it difficult to learn. Many rural educators, however, pushed for a longer school year. They thought it would keep children safe from industrial dangers when there were few child-labor laws.So the traditional school calendar was a compromise (折中). The average school year used to be one hundred and seventy days. Times have not changed much.    5    But some experts think the traditional school calendar needs to change because the needs of the nation have changed. This thinking has led some schools to keep students in class longer.

A．Why such a long break?

B．Today the common average is one hundred and eighty days.

C．Americans think highly of their traditional school calendar.

D．Most schools had similar school calendars.

E．But the reason has more to it.

F．Students in rural areas went to school for no more than six months of the year.

G．But they had different ideas for the calendar.

5 . We know the westerners like to plan for their time carefully in order to do all the things that are important to them. So if your American or English friend asks you to dinner, he usually invites you a week ahead. But if you really have no time and can’t go to the dinner, you can ring him to say sorry. The dinner is usually served at home, sometimes at a restaurant. You should get there on time, and don’t forget to put on your fine clothes. It is also a good idea to take some little presents to your friend, such as flowers, chocolates and so on. When you are at dinner, you should also observe (遵守) some other customs. Here I’ll give you some dos and don’ts about them in the following:

1) Don’t leave bones on the table or the floor. (You should put them on your plate with fingers.)

2) Don’t use your bowl to drink soup, but use your spoon to help you instead,

3)   Don’t talk with much food in your mouth.

4)   Don’t ask others to have more wine. (This is quite different from that in China.)

5)   After dinner, use you r napkin (餐巾) to clean your mouth and hands.

6)   Make sure small pieces of food are not left on your face.

Then after dinner, you can stay there a little time. And your friend will be pleased if you leave in half an hour or so. Next day, you had better ring him up to thank him for the good dinner.

1. If your American or English friend wants to invite you to dinner, he will invite you _____.

A．on the night before the dinner	B．on the day before the dinner
C．a week before the dinner	D．at the last moment

2. When you come to the dinner, you’d better_____.

A．get there a bit earlier

B．put on your usual clothes

C．take some presents like flowers, chocolates and so on

D．take your best friends with you

3. It would be impolite to______.

A．put bones on your plates with fingers

B．persuade others to drink more

C．drink soup with your spoon

D．make sure that there is nothing left on your face after dinner

4. Which of the following is not true?

A．After dinner, you’d better stay and talk with your friends for a long time to show your thanks.

B．You’d better ring your friend the next day to show your thanks.

C．After dinner, you’d better leave in half an hour.

D．After dinner, use napkin to clean you r mouth.

5. The best title for this passage would be_____.

A．Custom in England and America	B．Custom in the West
C．Living Custom in the West	D．Custom at Dinner Table in the West

6 . Different countries have different customs. When you travel to another countries, please follow their customs, just as the saying goes, “____”
Very often people who travel to the United States forget to tip. It is usual to tip porters who help carry your bags, taxi drivers and waiters. Waiters expect to get a 15% tip on the cost of your meal. Taxi drivers expect about the same amount.
In England, make sure to stand in line even if there are only two of you. It’s important to respect lines there. It’s a good idea to talk about the weather. It’s a favorite subject of conversation with the British.
In Spain, it’s a good idea to have a light meal in the afternoon if someone invites you for dinner. People have dinner very late, and restaurants do not generally open until after 9 pm.
In Arab countries, men kiss one another on the cheek. Your host may welcome you with a kiss on both cheeks. It is polite for you to do the same.
In Japan, people usually give personal or business cards to each other when they meet for the first time. When a person gives you a card, don’t put it into your pocket right away. The person expects you to read it.
Don’t forget to be careful of your body language to express something in conversation. A kind of body language that is acceptable in one culture may be impolite in another.
1. When you travel to the USA, you don’t need to tip     .

A．porters	B．waiters
C．teachers	D．taxi drivers

2. The missing sentence in the first paragraph should be“     .”

A．Love me, love my dog

B．He who laughs last laughs best

C．When in Rome, do as the Romans do

D．Where there is a will, there is a way

3. The underline word “porters” in the passage means      .

A．搬运工	B．清洁工
C．接线员	D．售票员

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．In Spain, People usually have dinner very early.

B．In England, It’s a not polite to talk about the weather.

C．In Arab countries, men kiss one another on the cheek.

D．In Japan you should not read the business card as soon as you get it.

5. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．How to Tip

B．Body Language

C．When to Have Dinne

D．Advice to International Travelers

7 .

The kindly “Chinese Fortune Grandpa” wearing Han Chinese clothing and holding a fortune bag debuted (亮相) at the Imperial Ancestral Shrine in Beijing on the day after Christmas. The final image of the Chinese gift-giver was selected through a global design competition against “Santa Claus”, according to a report byGuangming Daily.

Many Chinese cities have been filled with Christmas neon lights, Christmas songs, Christmas trees, and the images of “Santa Claus”in recent days. As a matter of fact, foreign festivals are becoming more popular than certain traditional Chinese festivals among the Chinese people, particularly the youth. “Certain traditional festivals have died out because people have forgotten their spiritual meanings, ”said noted writer Feng Jicai. More and more Chinese people are beginning to exchange gifts on Valentine's Day and Christmas. However, many of them know nothing about Chinese New Year pictures or sugarcoated figurines (小糖人), and have never heard suona music. Certain folk customs on the Dragon Boat Festival, Tomb Sweeping Day, and other traditional festivals have gradually disappeared. Under such circumstances, even the “Chinese Fortune Grandpa” is unlikely to defeat “Santa Claus”.

However, it is not a bad thing to some extent. It constantly reminds people to restore the “true face” of traditional festivals. China has listed traditional Tomb Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival as legal holidays, which brings more paid leaves to the public, and helps to awake the public awareness of traditional festivals.

In modern society, festival is a carrier of culture and its meaning largely depends on their understandings and usages by people. Compared with foreign festivals, traditional Chinese festivals are not inferior (次于) in cultural meanings, but lack of fashion sought by modern people. If people do not appreciate the historical culture contained by traditional festivals, and only take pleasure-seeking as the most important, the significance of traditional festivals will fade away and the inheritance (继承) of fine traditional culture will be cut off.

1. The second paragraph implies that ________.

A．traditional festivals should co-exist with foreign festivals

B．all the Chinese festivals are disappearing in the near future

C．western festivals are constantly impacting on our festivals

D．the Chinese people have the public awareness of traditional festivals

2. We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．an image designed by the Chinese people will be displayed

B．the Chinese gift-giver was intended to symbolize traditional culture

C．many foreigners know nothing about Chinese festivals

D．the Chinese are beginning to exchange gifts on the Mid-Autumn Festival

3. Many Chinese youth dislike traditional festivals because they think ________.

A．traditional festivals are out of fashion now

B．the historical culture is more difficult to understand

C．western festivals contain more cultural meanings

D．the inheritance will cut off their contact with western festivals

4. What would be the best title of the passage?

A．Gone are Chinese Traditional Festivals

B．True Face of Chinese Traditional Culture

C．Foreign Festivals Popular with Chinese

D．Chinese Fortune Grandpa VS Santa Claus

8 . America is a mobile society.Friendships between Americans can be close and real，yet disappear soon if situations change.Neither side feels hurt by this.Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two，perhaps a few letters for a while-then no more.If the same two people meet again by chance，even years later，they pick up the friendship.This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand，because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings，extending（延伸）sometimes deeply into both families.

Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes，share their holidays，and their home life.They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality（好客）easily.

Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives，they don't show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time.This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time.Sometimes，we，as hosts，will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend.We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends.The Americans，however，express their welcome usually at homes，but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine.They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus.And they expect that we will phone them from there.Once we arrive at their homes，the welcome will be full，warm and real.We will find ourselves treated hospitably.

For the Americans，it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes thanto go to restaurants，except for purely business matters.So accept their hospitality at，home！.

1. The writer of this passage must be______.

A．an American	B．a Chinese
C．a professor	D．a student

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families.

B．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives.

C．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy.

D．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break.

3. From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be_______.

A．warmly welcomed at the airport	B．offered a ride to his home
C．treated hospitably at his home	D．treated to dinner in a restaurant

4. The underlined words"generous with our time"in Paragraph 3 probably mean_____.

A．strict with time	B．serious with time
C．careful with time	D．willing to spend time

5. A suitable title for this passage would probably be"_____".

A．Friendships between Chinese

B．Friendships between Americans

C．Americans' hospitality

D．Americans' and Chinese's views of friendships