1 . Complete the passage about culture shock with the words from the box. What are the four stages of it? How do you think people can overcome culture shock?

what     that     who       when     whatever     because

    1    people move to a new country, they often feel worried and stressed     2    they don’t know the customs and traditions of the new place. This feeling is     3     is generally called culture shock. Kalervo Oberg was the one     4    first used this phrase. According to Oberg, there are several stages of culture shock. First there is the honeymoon period. During this period,     5     people experience is fresh and exciting to them. In the next stage, frustration, people notice more differences between their own culture and the new one.     6     people usually do about these differences is either to change their behaviour or return to their home country. If people stay, they come to the third stage which occurs     7     they begin to adjust to the new culture. They begin to become familiar with the customs, the thinking, and the habits of the new place. Acceptance is the fourth stage. People finally begin to fit into the new culture. Differences no longer trouble them as much, and they feel    8     they might actually belong in the new place.

2 . Culture shock or thinking differences can depress even the most experienced traveller. Remember that unlucky accidents with service providers may take place because of cultural or linguistic(语言的)misunderstandings, and that getting angry will make communication more difficult and cause bad feelings. A taste of humour can make hard situations more meaningful and enjoyable to you, your fellow travellers and the local friends you’ve made.

Keep a journal or carry a small tape recorder and make regular entries or recordings. Taking a step back and telling an experience after some time will open the door to humour. Write a letter or an email to a friend when you find your humour reducing. Challenge yourself to tell at least one good story in this message and you’ll be surprised how funny things can look when told to someone outside the situation.

Keep a list of funny things that you observe during your first few days in a new culture, and an explanation of what you think these things are all about. Look back on these lists later in the trip; what seemed strange before is probably familiar now, and your explanations may be funnier than the things themselves! Imagine writing an entry in a guidebook about a frustrating experience. How would you describe your experience to the later travellers? What travel advice would you offer?

Try to see yourself through the eyes of the locals. What might they find strange, funny about what you are doing at this moment? When you find it difficult to overcome cultural differences, taking a new look at yourself can be very funny. Be careful not to sacrifice respect for the local culture in order to lighten things up for yourself and fellow travellers.

1. According to the article, the travellers will often get depressed because of ___________.

A．being short of money	B．the different attitudes to the same thing
C．not having enough clothes	D．the unlucky fellow travellers’ trouble

2. Keeping a journal when travelling can help___________.

A．take a step to find the entry	B．keep a list of things that should be taken with
C．experience the same things later	D．begin to have a chance of telling the humour

3. When you try to keep your sense of humour in foreign countries, you should___________.

A．tell anything that you find entertaining	B．learn to respect the local culture
C．know how to overcome cultural differences	D．try to tell something particularly funny

4. We can infer that___________.

A．the funny things will be always interesting and never change

B．the funny things will always make people happy

C．if the people didn’t experience the things, they would find them funny

D．the things seem strange before they are surely becoming the familiar things

3 .

Six months ago, 19-year-old Xie Lei said goodbye to her family and friends and boarded a plane for London. It was the first time that she had left China.

Xie Lei is studying for a business qualification at a university in China and has come to our university on a year-long exchange programme. “I chose the exchange programme because I wanted to learn about global business and improve my English. My ambition is to set up a business in China after graduation,” she explained.

At first, Xie Lei had to adapt to life in a different country. “You have to get used to a whole new life,” she said. “I had to learn how to use public transport and how to ask for things I didn’t know the English names for. When I got lost, I had to ask passers-by for help, but people here speak fast and use words I’m not familiar with. I ask them to repeat themselves a lot!”

Although some foreign students live in campus accommodation, Xie Lei chose to live with a host family who can help with her adaptation to the new culture. “When I miss home, I feel comforted to have a second family,” Xie Lei said. “When there’s something I don’t know or understand, I ask them. They are also keen to learn about China. Laura, the daughter of my host family, wants to study in China in the future. We take turns to cook each evening. They really love my stir-fried tomatoes and eggs! Laura says she always feels hungry when she smells it, so I taught her how to cook it, too!”

Another challenge for Xie Lie is the academic requirements. The first time that she had to write an essay, her tutor explained that she must acknowledge what other people had said if she cited their ideas, but that he mainly wanted to know what she thought! Xie Lei was confused because she thought she knew less than other people. Her tutor advised her to read a lot of information in order to form a wise opinion of her own.

Xie Lei also found many courses included students’ participation in class as part of the final result. Students need to generate ideas, offer examples, apply concepts, and raise questions, as well as give presentations. At first, Xie Lei had no idea what she should say but what surprised her was that she found herself speaking up in class after just a few weeks. “My presentation on traditional Chinese art was a great success, which boosted my confidence,” she said, “I’ll use these skills back home for presentation. They’ll help me build a strong business in the future”.

Now halfway through her exchange year, Xie Lei feels much more at home in the UK. What seemed strange before now appears quite normal to her.” Engaging in British culture has helped,” she said. “As well as studying hard, I’ve been involved in social activities. British people are fascinated by our culture and eager to learn more about it, so I’m keen to share my culture with them. While I’m learning about business, I’m also acting as a cultural messenger building a bridge between us.”

We will follow Xie Lei’s progress in later editions, but for now, we wish her all the best.

1. Why did Xie Lei choose the exchange programme?

A．Because her tutor was moving to Britain for a new job.

B．Because she planed to set up a business in Britain after graduation.

C．Because she wished to experience a new life in a different country.

D．Because she wanted to learn about global business and develop her English.

2. What has Xie Lei done to adapt to life in a different country?

A．She has learnt to use taxi as main transport.

B．She has carried a business guidebook for reference.

C．She has always been with the daughter of her host family.

D．She has asked for help from passers-by when she got lost.

3. What can help Xie Lei write an essay according to this text?

A．Speaking a lot in class may give her a favor.

B．She can take part in lots of academic activities.

C．She can get help from her tutor and read a lot to prepare.

D．Raising questions and giving presentation can help for writing.

4. How has Xie Lei helped to build bridges between China and the UK?

A．By giving a presentation on traditional Chinese art.

B．By teaching people how to taste Chinese food.

C．By involving herself in academic essays.

D．By sharing western culture with people.

4 . Differences do set us apart, but we often forget that we are all human, and our culture is much more representative (有代表性的) of our differing environment than truly different people. Here are some tips on how to understand and admire cultural differences.

    1     In almost every single case, the only thing required to bridge cultural differences is an introduction. This isn't always easy, but the best thing to do is make an effort — go to the international folk music festival, eat in a restaurant where English isn't the first language, and say hello to the new family down the street.

Invite other cultures into your home.     2     Some people open their homes to exchange students with apps like Air BnB, while others might work through a church or charity to help provide for traveling groups. Even easier, you can simply invite people from other cultures over for dinner.     3    

Read as much about the local culture as you can before arriving. It is irresponsible to arrive in a new place without knowing how things usually run. You may get immediately shocked upon landing, which can make it harder to accept the culture later on.    4     Read online, check some books, and generally arrive well-informed. Having some knowledge beforehand will help with any culture shock.

Share parts of your own culture and life to encourage others to share theirs. One of the best things to bring while traveling is a set of photos from home, allowing you to bring people into your own life and culture from anywhere.    5     And learning is the key to understanding and, finally acceptance.

A．You can accept travelers or exchange students.

B．Therefore, be ready for some shocks or changes in the real world.

C．Seek out experiences, foods, and people who seem foreign to you.

D．Get out to see new places, pushing your comfort zone as much as possible.

E．Giving a little bit of yourself is the best way to learn a little bit about others.

F．You'll be surprised how much most people want to meet and talk to foreigners.

G．The best way to understand and admire cultural differences is over food and friendship.

5 . Group-Centered Societies Have Just as Much Creativity

What does culture have to do with creativity? The answer could be “a lot”. For decades, psychologists trying to understand the roots of creative imaginations have looked at the ways in which two different types of cultures can come to have an effect over its artistic and _________ output. Individualistic cultures encourage people to be unique and to _________ their own interests even if doing so comes at a cost to the group overall. Collectivistic cultures are based on relationships and duties to other people. These types of cultures often _________ the individual’s wants for the needs of those who are close to them or for those in their community.

Individualism has long been thought to have a creative _________. Individualists _________ social convention, the logic goes, and that pushback supports innovation. For instance, around the world, individualistic cultures have more patents than collectivistic cultures do. _________, a new study suggests that these ideas about culture and creativity could be off base. People in collectivistic cultures actually do better with a particular type of creative thinking than those in individualistic cultures. And the findings overall reveal the shortcomings of thinking about innovation too _________.

The new work comes from comparing communities in different parts of China. Though it scores high, as a nation, on measures of cultural _________, China’s 1.4 billion people are more than just a single culture. People from areas north of the Yangtze River tend to be more _________, open to strangers and self-confident, whereas people along the river and farther south are often more inter-dependent, partial to friends over strangers and likely to try harder to __________.

In the new creativity study, researchers investigated innovation with these two groups in mind. The team used a drawing test that had been created by psychologists. They gave kids a sheet of paper with just a few basic elements printed on it: some dots here, squiggles (弯曲的线条) there, and a rectangle that suggested a drawing frame. The children got 15 minutes to use the elements already on the page to draw whatever they wanted. They could get “adaptive creativity” points for doodling in ways that connected the squiggles and lines into an original and __________ image. In addition, a judge checked whether the children chose to incorporate a small shape that could be found just outside the rectangular. This element was easy to __________, so those who included this outside-the-box detail could get points for “boundary-breaking creativity.”

The researchers gave the test to 683 middle school students from north and south of the Yangtze River. When the scientists got the scores back, they discovered that there were no differences in the children’s overall creativity. When they broke down the results into components, they found that students from collectivistic regions scored __________ in adaptive creativity while those from individualistic areas did better in boundary-breaking creativity.

The findings are also a warning against cultural chauvinism (极端民族主义). Western countries have tended to lead the way in innovation — at least as defined by the metrics (指标) we Westerners have created. Perhaps we have been __________ China’s adaptive creativity. For example, while the country may not have invented the assembly line, it is largely thanks to the __________ its people have made to this system that the country has such a thriving manufacturing sector today.

1.

A．theoretical

B．inventive

C．productive

D．regular

2.

A．prioritize

B．deprive

C．tolerate

D．abandon

3.

A．satisfy

B．stimulate

C．cherish

D．sacrifice

4.

A．shelter

B．edge

C．border

D．alternative

5.

A．embrace

B．propose

C．resist

D．create

6.

A．However

B．Therefore

C．Meanwhile

D．Moreover

7.

A．broadly

B．objectively

C．seriously

D．narrowly

8.

A．individualism

B．identity

C．collectivism

D．flexibility

9.

A．selfish

B．collective

C．individualistic

D．realistic

10.

A．fall apart

B．fit in

C．give in

D．show off

11.

A．separate

B．ugly

C．unified

D．tiny

12.

A．catch

B．miss

C．target

D．misuse

13.

A．higher

B．averagely

C．lower

D．vaguely

14.

A．capturing

B．approaching

C．imitating

D．overlooking

15.

A．improvements

B．drawbacks

C．insights

D．attempts

6 . My husband and I just spent a week in Paris.    1    So the first thing we did was rent a fantastically expensive sixth-floor apartment the size of a cupboard. It was so tiny that we had to leave our suitcases in the hallway.

The place wasn’t entirely authentic, though. Unlike a normal Parisian apartment, the plumbing (水管) worked.     2    Our building even had a tiny lift with a female voice that said, “Ouverture des portes,” in perfect French. That is the only French phrase I mastered, and it’s a shame I don’t have much use for it.

Parisians are different from you and me. They never look lazy or untidy. As someone noted in this paper a couple of weeks ago, they eat great food and never gain weight.     3     French strawberries do not taste like cardboard. Instead, they explode in your mouth like little flavor bombs.

    4     On our first morning in Paris, I went around the corner to the food market to pick up some groceries. I bought a handful of perfectly ripe small strawberries and a little sweet melon. My husband and I agreed they were the best fruit we had ever eaten. But they cost $18!

In France, quality of life is much more important than efficiency.

You can tell this by cafés life. French cafés are always crowded.    5    When do these people work? The French take their 35-hour workweek seriously — so seriously that some labor unions recently struck a deal with a group of companies limiting the number of hours that independent contractors can be on call.

A．Not all the customers are tourists.

B．The quality of life in France is equally excellent.

C．There was a nice kitchen and a comfortable bed.

D．The amazing food is mainly consumed by local farmers.

E．That’s not the only reason the French eat less than we do.

F．Our aim was to see if we could live, in some way, like real Parisians.

G．The food is so delicious that you don’t need much of it to make you happy.