Question

 If you are ever lucky to be invited to a formal dinner party in Paris,remember that the French have their own way of doing things，and that even your finest manners may not be " cor?rect" by French custom. For example, if you think showing up promptly at the time given on the invitation，armed with gifts of wine and roses，complimenting your hostess on her cooking， laughing heartily at the host's jokes and then leaping up to help the hostess will make you the perfect guest, think again.

Here Madame Nora Chabal, the marketing director of the Ritz Hotel in Paris,explained how it works.

The first duty of the guest is to respond to the invitation within 48 hours. And,the guest may not ask to bring a guest because the hostess has chosen her own.

Flowers sent in advance are the preferred gift. They may also be sent afterwards with a thank-you note. It is considered a very bad form to arrive with a gift of flowers in hand,there?by forcing the hostess to deal with finding a vase when she is too busy to do that. See,that's the logic！The type of flowers sent has a code of its own,too. One must never send chrysanthe?mums because they are considered too humble a flower for occasion. Carnations are considered bad luck,and calla lilies are too reminiscent(令人联想) of funerals(葬礼) .A bouquet of red roses is a declaration of romantic intent. Don't send those unless you mean it,and never to a married hostess. And though the French love wine,you must never bring a bottle to a dinner party. Why,it's as if you feared your hosts would not have enough wine on hand,and that's an insult. You may,however, offer a box of chocolates which the hostess will pass after dinner with coffee.

If an invitation is for eight o'clock，the considerate guest arrives at 8 ： 15. Guests who arrive exactly on time or early are mere thoughtless ones who are not giving the hostess those last few minutes she needs to deal with details and crises. The "correct" guest arrives between 15 to 20 minutes after the hour because dinner will be served exactly 30 minutes past the time on the invi?tation.

(   ) 1. According to Madame Nora Chabal, which of the following is polite?

   A.Offering a box of chocolate to the hostess.

   B.Holding a gift of flowers in hand when you arrive at the host's home.

   C.Taking a bottle of wine to a dinner party.

   D.Bringing a friend with you to go to the host's home together.

(   ) 2. The underlined word "complimenting" probably means         .

   A. making comments on   B. playing jokes on

   C. singing praise of   D. sharing opinions with

(   ) 3. If an invitation is for 5 p. m. , the guest had better arrive at         .

   A. 5:15 p.m.   B. 4:55 p.m.

   C. 5：00 p.m.   D. 5：30 p.m.

(   ) 4. What is the passage mainly about?

   A.Dining in Paris.

   B.Going to a dinner party in a foreign country.

   C.Different countries have different manners.

   D.Good manners at a French dinner party.

Answer 1

1-4 ACAD     

A篇介绍了在巴黎参加宴会时应注意的礼仪问题。

1.A细节理解题。从文章第四段最后一句话You may,however, offer a box of chocolates which the hostess will pass after dinner with coffee，可知A项正确。其余几项在巴黎均被认为是不礼貌的。

2.C词义猜测题。根据常识和语言的对称性，在一般人看来，"赞美女主人的高超厨艺"行为应是与"按请柬上的时间准时到达、携带美酒和玫瑰花、对主人的笑话开怀大笑和主动帮助女主人"等行为相一致的"perfect"行为。 

3.A细节理解题。文章最后一句，The "cor?rect" guest arrives between 15 to 20 minutes af?ter the hour because dinner will be served ex?actly 30 minutes past the time on the invitation 得知A项为正确时间。

4.D主旨大意题。A项表"在巴黎进餐"，与本文主题"应邀到巴黎参加晚宴"是不相符合的；B项中"a foreign country"所指太抽象；C 项表述范围太广。只有D项表述与"客人的到达时间"、"客人是否携带礼物"以及"客人到达后的行为规范"是相吻合的。