Britons may like to complain a lot, but they rarely do so right now, explains BBC writer Ruth Margolis. They would rather grumble (发牢骚) afterward. This is because Britons hate to put someone out and cause any embarrassment. Margolis writes, “For instance, I’m much more comfortable just leaving that piece of raw chicken on my plate instead of complaining to restaurant staff. But beware: if this kind of thing happens when you’re dining with an American, they will most likely speak up on your behalf and not understand why you find this ashamed.”

In a BBC blog post comparing cultural differences between the UK and the US, Margolis mentions a few other things that Americans like to do that are offensive to Britons.

● Not making introductions

Margolis says most Britons dislike this approach because “talking to strangers without being introduced gives them a stomachache”. Americans rarely introduce a new friend to their friends at parties. Strangers are supposed to introduce themselves.

● “Quite” good

Using “quite” to mean “very” happens a lot in the US. But if you are invited to a dinner party in Britain, don't describe the meal as “quite good” if you want to express high praise. To Britons’ ears, “quite” detracts from the “good”: the meal was OK but could have been better.

● Money Talk

Americans can talk about money subjects for hours without feeling uncomfortable. For Britons, says Margolis, “Talking about how much we make is unthinkable — even 1ess so than discussing our feelings.”

● Over-politeness

“It’s not that I want shop assistants to be actively rude. But neither do I want to expend energy responding to someone who's been paid to ask: ‘How are you today?’” says Margolis. In the US, it is not unusual to be greeted by a perfect stranger as “honey” or “sweetie”. But Margolis says Britons find put-on friendliness, especially in stores, deeply irritating.

1.Margolis’ dining experience in Paragraph 1 shows that_______.

A. Britons are particular about foods

B. Britons are not good at complaining

C. Americans usually complain directly

D. Americans complain more than Britons

2.Which of the following might Margolis agree with?

A. Britons enjoy talking about their feelings.

B. Americans introduce themselves at parties.

C. Americans dislike talking to strangers at parties.

D. Britons feel happy if treated like close friends.

3.The underlined phrase “detracts from” in the text probably means ____.

A. differs greatly from B. increases the quality of

C. reduces the strength of D. draws attention away from

4.What does the text mainly talk about?

A. How to get on well with westerners.

B. How to start conversations with Britons.

C. Ruth Margolis’ tips on public behavior.

D. Some American habits that annoy Britons.

阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Number sense is not the ability to count. It is the ability to recognize a in number. Human beings are born with this ability. , experiments show that many animals are, too. For example, many birds have good number sense. If a nest has four eggs and you remove one, the bird will not . However, if you remove two, the bird leaves. This means that the bird knows the between two and three.

Another interesting experiment showed a bird's number sense. A man was trying to take a photo of a crow(乌鸦)that had a nest in a tower, but the crow always left when she saw him coming. The bird did not until the man left the tower. The man had an .He took another man with him to the tower. One man left and the other stayed, but they did not the bird. The crow stayed away until the second man left, too. The experiment was with three men and then with four men. But the crow did not return to the nest until all the men were .It was not until five men went into the tower and only four left that they were able to fool the crow.

How good is a human's number sense? It's not very good. For example, babies about fourteen months old almost always notice if something is taken away from a group. But when the number goes beyond three or four, the children are fooled.

It seems that number sense is something we have in common with many animals in this world, and that our human is not much better than a crow's.

1.A. rise B. pattern C. change D. trend

2.A. Importantly B. Surprisingly C. Disappointedly D. Fortunately

3.A. survive B. care C. hatch D. notice

4.A. generally B. sincerely C. casually D. deliberately

5.A. distance B. range C. difference D. interval

6.A. amazing B. annoying C. satisfying D. disturbing

7.A. relax B. recover C. react D. return

8.A. appointment B. excuse C. idea D. explanation

9.A. fool B. hurt C. catch D. kill

10.A. reported B. repeated C. designed D. approved

11.A. confused B. gone C. tired D. drunk

12.A. gradually B. luckily C. strangely D. finally

13.A. single B. small C. local D. new

14.A. seldom B. temporarily C. merely D. often

15.A. sight B. nature C. ability D. belief

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