题目内容
Americans often plan social gatherings(社交聚会)on short notice, so don’t be surprised if you get invited to someone’s home or to see a movie or baseball game without much warning. If the time is convenient (方便) for you, surely accept their invitation. But if you’re busy, don’t be afraid to decline the invitation, perhaps suggesting a time that would be better. Your host won’t be shamed.
Invitations are usually sent in person or over the telephone. The main exception(例外) is for some formal occasions, in which case a written invitation will be mailed. You would normally receive a written invitation to a wedding(婚礼).
For a casual(不正式的)dinner invitation, don’t arrive more than 5 minutes early, because your host may still be preparing for your visit. Arriving more than 10 minutes late is considered rude if very few people were invited. If many people were invited, it’s OK to arrive a little late, even as much as half an hour late. For example, it’s OK to arrive late for a party, for a potluck (家常便饭) dinner or for a social gathering inviting a large group of people.
If you’re invited for dinner, it’s proper to bring the host a bottle of wine, a gift basket of fruit, a box of candy (糖果), or a bouquet(束)of flowers. Don’t bring roses, as men often give roses to women on a date (约会).
If you wish to thank the host for his or her hospitality (好客), it’s right to call or send a brief (简单的) written thank-you note the next day.
1.The passage is to tell us ________.
A.how to accept Americans’ invitations.
B.something about American social visits.
C.something about American business visits.
D.how to make a living in America.
2.The underlined word “decline” in the first paragraph most probably means _____.
A.accept B.receive C.refuse D.follow
3.If an American only invites you to his home for an informal supper at 7:30p.m., you’d better get to his house at ________.
A.7:15p.m. B.7:35p.m. C.7:45p.m. D.7:55p.m.
4.In America, invitations to a wedding are often sent ________.
A.by mail B.by fax C.by e-mail D.over the telephone
5.According to the passage, in American ________.
A.if you’re invited to a family as a guest, you can stay as long as you please.
B.if you’re invited for a party, you must always be on time.
C.if you’re invited for dinner, you’d better bring some presents.
D.you must make a call to show your thanks after you get home from the dinner.
1.B
2.C
3.B
4.A
5.C
【解析】
试题分析:这篇文章主要讲了关于美国社会聚会的一些事。例如被邀请时,到达聚会的时间以及应该给主人带些礼物。
1.根据Americans often plan social gatherings(社交聚会)on short notice, so don’t be surprised if you get invited to someone’s home or to see a movie or baseball game without much warning.可知这篇文章主要讲了关于美国社会聚会的一些事情,故选B。
2.根据perhaps suggesting a time that would be better. Your host won’t be shamed,可知decline的意思是谢绝,故选C。
3.根据For a casual(不正式的)dinner invitation, don’t arrive more than 5 minutes early, because your host may still be preparing for your visit. Arriving more than 10 minutes late is considered rude if very few people were invited.所以答案为B。
4.根据You would normally receive a written invitation to a wedding(婚礼),因此选A。
5.根据If you’re invited for dinner, it’s proper to bring the host a bottle of wine, a gift basket of fruit, a box of candy (糖果), or a bouquet(束)of flowers. Don’t bring roses, as men often give roses to women on a date (约会),因此选C。
考点:政治经济文化类短文阅读理解
点评:要想答好题目,重在理解全文意思。这篇文章比较难,先看问题,再带着问题读短文,找出各段落的主旨句,理解全文内容,总结全文中心,然后再回到问题上来,很容易选出正确答案。
Smiling
People smile at times. However, the meaning of a smile in different cultures may be different. Depending on different cultures, smiling can express joy and amusement, but it can also indicate embarrassment(苦恼). The following examples show this point of view:
In an attempt to be open and friendly, people in the United States smile a lot. Every one smiles at each other, this nonverbal communication shows being friendly in the United States. However,in China, smiling is not only an expression of happiness, but also a way to avoid being embarrassed. Chinese people like smiling when they are embarrassed in order to avoid embarrassment. Smiling is a kind of good will but not sneer(嘲笑). For example: When a child falls off from a bike, the adults in China may smile, which is a kind of gentle encouragement and may not be a kind of impolite laugh.
When a person from the United States might blush(脸红)with embarrassment or become offensive, a Chinese might blush with smile. To avoid serious misunderstanding, people who engage in intercultural communication should be able to understand the meaning of smiling appropriately. Related to the smile is the laugh. Also, different cultures have different meanings about laugh. For example, Americans can enjoy a very heartfelt belly (腹部) laugh that comes from the deepest emotions. However, most Chinese seldom laugh that way because they are thought to be silly except among close friends.
【小题1】We can use smile to express all of the following feelings except_________,
A.joy and happiness | B.amusement | C.embarrassment | D.fear |
A.they are very happy | B.they want to show they are friendly |
C.they want to hide their true feelings | D.they want to avoid embarrassment |
A.laugh at him | B.avoid his own embarrassment |
C.avoid embarrassment and encourage the boy | D.show his politeness |
A.People smile at times. | B.Smiling can express different feelings depending on different cultures. |
C.Americans are more open and friendly than Chinese people. | |
D.The Chinese people often hide their true feelings. |
Making greener choices and encouraging healthy lifestyles can promote your health and benefit the environment.Here are some guidelines to follow:
Choose foods thoughtfully
Americans have never had such a variety or abundance of food to choose from.Besides so many choices, we now hear about our "food print", the amount of land needed to supply one person's nutritional needs for a year.Do we buy cherry tomatoes from Mexico or tomatoes grown locally in a hothouse? Do.we get the Granny Smiths from the fanners' market or the supermarket? Is organic produce healthier for us and the planet?
These are very complex issues that require analysis of many criteria, including the energy used in producing and transporting the food, as well as the type of soil and methods of raising the food.
Despite the complexities, there are some general guidelines you can follow.For instance, eat less meat or eat low on the food chain.Your doctor may have recommended you to restrict your consume red meat because of its too much fat content.Beyond that, there are environmental reasons, too. Raise food animals contributes substantially to climate change because a meat-based diet requires more land, energy and water than a plant - based one.
Drinking plenty of fluids is significant during hot weather or when exercising.But is bottled water the way to go? You may not think so when seeing the true costs.Based on a survey, manufacturing the 30 - plus billion plastic water bottles can produce more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide and use here times the amount of water in the bottle.Adding in transportation, the energy used comes to over 50 million barrels of oil equivalent (等价物).Consequently, skip the bottled water and drink tap water, both at home and at restaurants.Additionally, bottled water is not necessarily cleaner than tap.
【小题1】In Paragraph 2 the author puts forward three questions mainly _____.
A.to prove Americans have less food to choose from |
B.to show us the shopping habits of most Americans |
C.to indicate Americans tend to buy food from abroad |
D.to remind people to reconsider their food purchase |
A.it contains too much fat | B.it costs a lot in transportation |
C.it is too low on the food chain | D.it isn't related to climate change |
A.Americans all prefer to buy cherry tomatoes from Mexico. |
B.The plant - based diet is responsible for the climate change. |
C.Americans have a variety of food to choose from. |
D.Organic produce is the only choice for Americans. |
A.bottled water is cleaner than tap water |
B.tap water is economical as well as eco - friendly |
C.bottled water is more available than tap water |
D.tap water uses one - third the cost of bottled water |
A.Skip bottled water, carry tap | B.Drink bottled water |
C.Produce plastic water bottles | D.Save water resources |
America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while—then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us develop more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending(延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality(好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!
【小题1】The writer of this passage must be ________.
A.an American | B.a Chinese | C.a professor | D.a student |
A.Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
B.Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
C.Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
D.Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
A.warmly welcomed at the airport | B.offered a ride to his/her home |
C.treated hospitably at his/her home | D.treated to dinner in a restaurant |
A.strict with time | B.willing to spend time |
C.careful with time | D.serious with time |
A.Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships | B.Americans’ hospitality |
C.Friendships between Chinese | D.Friendships between Americans |