1 . I have always found the Chinese to be a very polite people. In particular, Chinese frequently compliment (称赞) foreign friends on their language skills, knowledge of Chinese culture, professional accomplishments, and personal health. Curiously, however, Chinese are as loath to accept a compliment as they are eager to give one. As many of my Chinese friends have explained, this is a sign of the Chinese virtue of modesty.

I have noticed a difference, though, in the degree to which modesty is emphasized in the United States and China. In the US, we tend to place more emphasis on “seeking the truth from fact”, thus, Americans tend to accept a compliment with gratitude.

Chinese, on the other hand, tend to reject the compliment, even when they know they deserve the credit or recognition which has been awarded them. I can imagine a Chinese basketball fan meeting Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls. He might say, “Mr. Jordan, I am so happy to meet you. I just want to tell you, you are the best basketball player in the world; you’re the greatest!” to which Jordan would probably respond, “Thank you very much. I really appreciate it! I just to try to do my best every time I step on the court.” If an American met Deng Yaping, China’s premier pingpong player, he might say much the same thing: “Ms. Deng, you’re the best!” but as a Chinese, Deng would probably say, “No, I really don’t play all that well. You’re too much kind.”

Plainly, Americans and Chinese have different ways of responding to praise. Ironically, many Americans might consider Ms. Deng’s response the less modest, because it is less truthful—and therefore less sincere. Americans generally place sincerity above manners; genuine gratitude for the praise serves as a substitute for protestations of modesty. After all, in the words of one of my closest Chinese friends, modesty taken to the extreme is pride.

1. What does the underlined word “loath” in paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Polite.

B．Uncertain.

C．Curious.

D．Unwilling.

2. Why does the author mention Michael Jordan and Deng Yaping?

A．To note they do as much as they can each time they play against others.

B．To remind readers they are the best players in basketball and table tennis.

C．To explain they deserve the credit or recognition for their great contributions.

D．To show they as Chinese and Americans are different in accepting praise.

3. Why do Americans consider Ms. Deng’s response the less modest?

A．They think sincerity matters the most.	B．They think her reply is against the fact.
C．They think she is too modest to believe.	D．They think manners is more important.

4. In what column can you find this passage in a newspaper?

A．Education.

B．Sports.

C．Culture.

D．People.

2 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Beijing Opera,    1    (know) as China's national opera, also called Peking Opera, which originated in the late 18th century, is a combination of music, dance, art and acrobatics (杂技). It is the most influential and representative of all operas in China. It is called Beijing Opera because it is formed in Beijing. Beijing Opera has    2    history of 200 years and its origin can date back to old local operas, especially Anhui Opera,     3    was very popular in northern China in the 18th century. In 1790, the first Anhui Opera performance    4     (hold) in Beijing to celebrate the Emperor's birthday.

Later, some other Anhui Opera troupes (班子)     5     (continue) performing in Beijing. Anhui Opera was easy    6     (move) and good at absorbing the acting styles of other types of operas. Beijing accumulated many local operas,     7     (make) Anhui Opera improve quickly.

    8    the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, after the marriage for 10 years, Beijing Opera finally formed, and became the    9     (big) of all Operas in China. We can    10     (honest) say that Beijing Opera is the most important opera in China.