2 . Several years ago, Jeremy Clarkson, presenter of the famous BBC television programme ‘Top Gear’, discovered that one of his guests was half German and half Irish. Immediately, he said, “That’s quite a strange combination. It’s like, ‘this must be done absolutely perfectly… tomorrow’ ”.

This joke played on stereotypes of the Germans as efficient and the Irish as lazy. Many people could understandably be offended by these kinds of assertions(断言). We do not know every Irish person, so how can we then conclude that every Irish person is lazy?

I recently read on a website that Irish business people were described as being “generally rather casual” and “more outwardly friendly than many European countries”. German business people, on the other hand, are considered to be very direct and according to the website, they “do not need a personal relationship in order to do business”. Once you hear advice like this, it becomes easier to understand where jokes like the one in the first paragraph come from.

So why do some people disapprove of the kind of stereotypes as seen in Clarkson’s joke, but not batting an eyelid(眨眼) when it comes to generalizations. What is the difference between the two?

By definition, a stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. A cultural characteristic, on the other hand, is a pattern of behaviour that is typical of a certain group.

So what does this really mean? Stereotypes are simply overstated assumptions about groups of people. Imagine if a tourist visited a small town in Switzerland and saw a number of locals playing the alphorn instrument, and then claimed that Swiss people can play the alphorn. This would be a stereotype! This is an overstated image of the Swiss which is based on one tourist’s experience.

If, however, this tourist were to say that the Swiss are very punctual, this could be seen as a cultural characteristic. This is because it is a pattern of behaviour which is very typical in Switzerland: from their transport system to their business meetings. In this way, some people argue that generalizing another culture is not just useful, but important. Politicians always have to be mindful of the cultural characteristics of different countries. By becoming aware of different cultural characteristics, they can avoid causing offence in those cultures. However, others argue that generalizing cultures will always lead to offensive stereotypes. They argue that the best thing we can do is to stop generalizing cultures and start treating people as individuals.

All this raises important questions: can making generalizations about groups of people be a positive thing? Or should we always avoid making broad assumptions about different groups?

1. When he said, “It’s like, ‘this must be done absolutely perfectly…tomorrow’”, Jeremy Clarkson really meant ________.

A．the stereotypes of the Germans and the Irish are not so good

B．the combination of half German and half Irish is interesting

C．the characteristics of the Germans and the Irish are opposite

D．the Germans will do it perfectly tomorrow while the Irish won’t

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

A．The Swiss can play the alphorn quite well.

B．The Irish people are considered as lazy, direct and casual.

C．The Germans are thought to be efficient, friendly and direct.

D．The Swiss tend to arrive on time on various occasions.

3. Politicians think it important to generalize another culture because ________.

A．they don’t want to offend other people

B．generalizing will lead to offensive stereotypes

C．cultural characteristics are better than stereotypes

D．they think different cultural characteristics are useful

4. The main purpose of this passage is to ________.

A．illustrate the importance of making generalizations

B．show it is wrong to play jokes on stereotypes of different people

C．tell us the differences between stereotypes and cultural characteristics

D．discuss whether it is good to make generalizations about groups of people

3 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求回答问题。

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 perception (感知), attention, and reasoning in the offline world.

“We believe these findings relate to a cultural bias 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?

5 . I have met many westerners who do not feel anything to put their feet on the table while sitting on the chair.    1    They don't feel like it is a strange or rude thing to do it. And I-know that they don't mean to be ill-behaved. However, in the eyes of a Myanmarese, it is really a very rude thing.

For Myanmarese, the head is the most sacred（神圣的）part of the human body while the feet are the most inferior part.    2    They touch ground, dirt, mud and garbage. Just think of all the dirty things lying on the ground. So the Myanmarese regard feet as the most dirty and smelly part of one's body.

    3    When you put that dirty part of your body onto other people's clean table, it is like an insult（侮辱）to that person if that person is a Myanmarese. There is nothing more insulting to a Myanmarese than to point your feet towards him.

So, if you want to win the heart of your Myanmarese friends, next time when you drop in on him or he visits you, try not to put your feet on the living room table or point your feet towards him. Indeed, your feet should never be pointing to the direction of a person or a sacred place.    4    

Possibly, your Myanmarese friend will not say anything even if you do it. But it does not mean that he is OK with your behavior or approves of your behavior.    5    Even if that person is your employee or your house maid, you should never do it to him or her.

A．This seems a normal habit to them.

B．In his heart he will consider you as a rude person.

C．Whatever you do, don't touch the head of a Myanmarese.

D．This is the rule that you must strictly follow in Myanmar.

E．Being the lowest part, they are also considered the dirtiest part.

F．For Myunurese，the dirty part should only be in the lowest place.

G．Myannmarese people do not express themselves as directly as Westerners.

6 . A trip across the Pacific will guarantee you a different experience with a tipping culture you’ve never come across in China.

In the US, giving a little _______ money to service workers on top of your bill is a common _______.

Though US national law _______that businesses pay workers at least $7.25 (45 yuan) per hour, employees receiving tips—often waiters and waitresses—are the exceptions. They _______ only receive $2.13 an hour, and tips _______the difference. As the Wall Street Journal put it, “The American system of tipping holds the promise of great _______ for waiting staff.”

So how should you tip if you are in the US?

_______you pay tips as a percentage of the bill. Offering an extra 15 percent of the _______to the waiter or waitress in a restaurant and to the delivery man or woman is customary and _______. You can offer more for great service and less for ________ service.

Yet there is an________. For take-out food, you don’t have to ________tips for the sellers. Tipsare not expected at fast food restaurants, cafés or ice cream shops either, though a tip jar ________be right by the cash register (收银机). Don’t feel obligated to throw some money in, remembering that it doesn’t hurt. Those workers do not __________on tips.

Other service workers also receive tips. For taxi drivers, 15 percent is the norm (标准), ________if they help with your bags. The same goes for tour guides.

Today, you can even pay tips on a credit card. When receiving a copy of the bill to sign, you

are ________to fill in how much you’d like to tip.

________thinking about when to tip and how much you should tip causes a big ________for many Chinese people, it’s important to________in mind that as long as you show respect and use your reasoning, things will be just ________.

1.

A．good

B．pocket

C．extra

D．lucky

2.

A．method

B．practice

C．way

D．agreement

3.

A．requires

B．believes

C．hopes

D．agrees

4.

A．rarely

B．usually

C．seldom

D．always

5.

A．put up

B．take up

C．hold up

D．make up

6.

A．praises

B．prizes

C．awards

D．rewards

7.

A．Fortunately

B．Naturally

C．Normally

D．Surprisingly

8.

A．bill

B．note

C．check

D．tip

9.

A．expected

B．limited

C．illegal

D．casual

10.

A．superb

B．poor

C．splendid

D．new

11.

A．example

B．incident

C．exception

D．opportunity

12.

A．provide

B．pay

C．charge

D．demand

13.

A．need

B．should

C．must

D．might

14.

A．put

B．live

C．work

D．rely

15.

A．less

B．bigger

C．more

D．smaller

16.

A．eager

B．free

C．willing

D．delighted

17.

A．Though

B．Now that

C．As if

D．When

18.

A．dilemma

B．enjoyment

C．headache

D．change

19.

A．stay

B．bear

C．bring

D．take

20.

A．terrible

B．various

C．valuable

D．fine

7 . The Enigma (谜) of Beauty

The search for beauty spans centuries and continents. Paintings of Egyptians dating back over 4,000 years show both men and women painting their nails and wearing makeup. In 18th-century France, wealthy noblemen wore large wigs (假发) of long, white hair to make themselves attractive. Today, people continue to devote a lot of time and money to their appearance.

There is at least one good reason for the desire to be attractive: beauty is power. Studies suggest that good-looking people make more money, get called on more often in class, and are regarded as friendlier.

But what exactly is beauty? It’s difficult to describe it clearly, and yet we know it when we see it. And our awareness of it may start at a very early age. In one set of studies, six-month-old babies were shown a series of photographs. The faces on the pictures had been rated for attractiveness by a group of college students. In the studies, the babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones.

The idea that even babies can judge appearance makes perfect sense to many researchers. In studies by psychologists, men consistently showed a preference for women with larger eyes, fuller lips, and a smaller nose and chin while women prefer men with large shoulders and a narrow waist. According to scientists, the mind unconsciously tells men and women that these traits — the full lips, clear skin, strong shoulders — equal health and genetic well-being.

Not everyone thinks the same way, however. “Our hardwiredness can be changed by all sorts of expectations — mostly cultural,” says C. Loring Brace, an anthropologist at the University of Michigan. What is considered attractive in one culture might not be in another. Look at most Western fashion magazines: the women on the pages are thin. But is this “perfect” body type for women worldwide? Scientists’ answer is no; what is considered beautiful is subjective and varies around the world. They found native peoples in southeast Peru preferred shapes regarded overweight in Western cultures.

For better or worse, beauty plays a role in our lives. But it is extremely difficult to describe exactly what makes one person attractive to another. Although there do seem to be certain physical traits considered universally appealing, it is also true that beauty does not always keep to a single, uniform standard. Beauty really is, as the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder.

1. People’s ideas about beauty ________.

A．have existed since ancient times

B．can be easily described

C．have little influence on a person’s success

D．are based upon strict criteria

2. In Paragraph 3, the babies in the study ________.

A．were rated for their appearance

B．were entered in a beauty contest

C．were shown photos of a group of college students

D．were able to tell attractive faces from unattractive ones

3. The underlined word “traits” in Paragraph 4 probably means ________.

A．qualities	B．measurements
C．judgments	D．standards

4. We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．the ideas of beauty vary as people grow up

B．the search for beauty is rooted in lack of confidence

C．the standards for beauty are based on scientific researches

D．the understanding of beauty depends on cultural backgrounds