题目内容

An American woman living in Wisconsin volunteered to tutor English to a Japanese woman who had moved into the same community. “Before each lesson, and on each and every visit,” the American reported, “the Japanese lady brought me a gift — a book, some paper sculpture, flowers, or candy. It was discomforting.”

Unknowingly, this American was experiencing a custom rooted centuries deep in the Japanese culture. Gift giving is an institution and a revered custom in Japan. Gift giving is a necessity, not merely a nicety as in the West. In Japan the proper gift is thought to express the giver's true friendship, gratitude, and respect far better than words can. So if you plan to visit Japan or to have Japanese visit you here, be prepared.

So you know gift giving plays a very important role in nowadays society. Now let's see what's happening in other countries.

Germany

A West Virginia manager, visiting Germany for the first time, was invited to the home of his largest customer. He decided to bring his hostess a bouquet( 束) of flowers. He selected a dozen red roses.

Oops! Terrible mistake! Social gift giving is popular and well-established in Germany but has certain do's and don'ts.

Flowers are often taken to a hostess of a dinner party at her home, but there are three taboos(禁忌) to remember: 1) red roses signify a romantic interest, 2) an even number of flowers signify bad luck, as does the number thirteen, and 3) always unwrap the flowers before presenting them. This West Virginia was making what amounted to a passion at his customer's wife.

Greece

  The most common form of showing appreciation in Greece is probably an evening's entertainment. If you do present a gift, avoid personal items, such as ties and shirts. If you are invited to a Greek home, flowers or a cake for the hostess is an appropriated gift.

Italy

When you are invited to a person's home for dinner, it might be nice to bring flowers or a box of chocolates for your hostess, although it is just as considerate to have the flowers sent the next day. Yellow roses can signify “jealousy.” And in Italy never send chrysanthemums(菊花), since they suggest death.

72. Why did the American woman feel uneasy?

     A. Because she wasn’t used to the Japanese custom of giving gifts.

     B. Because she was unsatisfied with the gifts given by the japanese woman.

     C. Because she promised to teach the Japanese woman for free.

     D. Because she had to send other gifts in return.

73. Which of the following is an improper gift given in Greece?

     A. A bundle of lily.     B. Chocolates.             C. Books.                  D. Shorts.

74. It might be a terrible mistake to send flowers improperly as gifts in _______ according to the text.

     A. Japan and Italy                                          B. Germany and Greece

     C. Japan and Greece                                       D. Italy and Germany

75. The main idea of this passage probably is _________.

     A. think twice when you send flowers as gifts

     B. the importance of gift giving in various countries

     C. some suggestions on gifts giving in different countries

     D. take care when you send gifts in different countries

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Barack Obama made his victory speech in Chicago after a hard-fought campaign.

Democratic Senator Barack Obama has won the US presidential election, and will become the 44th President of the United States-the first African-American in the country's history to do so.

President-elect Obama marked his victory with a speech to a crowd of tens of thousands of people in his hometown of Chicago.

Obama described his election as a "defining moment' in the history of the United States, saying that "change has come to America".

The BBC's spokesman in Washington says that in electing Barack Obama, the American people have expressed their unhappiness with the present state and rejected their country's historical racial divisions.

The Australian Prime Minister summed up how many people felt when he congratulated President-elect Obama.

“Forty-five years ago Martin Luther King had a dream of an America where men and women would be judged not on the colour of their skin but on the content of their character. Today what America has done is turn that dream into a reality," said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

President-elect Obama will not take office until 20th January next year. However, when he does become president, he will face many serious challenges, including two foreign wars, climate change and what he has described as " the worst financial crisis (经济危机)in a century."

But the mood of the country is optimistic, according to most commentators, and Obama himself appears to enjoy the challenge.

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be difficult. We may not get there in one year or even in one term, but America--I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there," said the next President of the United States.

 

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

A. It was not a difficult process for Obama to win the US presidential election.

B. The American people welcome the historical racial divisions.

C. What Martin Luther King dreamed about America has come true.

D. After the election Obama didn't say anything about his victory.

42. According to the passage, it seems that in the United States, _____________.

A. people may still be treated unequally because of their color of skin.

B. people are experiencing two civil wars.

C. Americans are enjoying the economy developing.

D. People are not satisfied with President-elect.

43. From the last two paragraphs, we can learn that________________.

A. the attitude of American people to their country's future is not clear.

B. Obama has confidence in American future and ready to face it.

C. the road to America will be long.

D. the change of America is not hard to achieve.

44. What is probably the best title to the passage?

A. Historical presidential election                          B. The first African-American President

C. Change has come                                           D. Comments about America

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