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.

 As late as 1800, women's only place was in the home. The idea of woman in the business world was unthinkable. Men were certain that no woman could do a good job outside her home. This was such a widely accepted idea that when the well-known Bronte sisters began writing books in 1846, they had to sign their books with men's names instead.

  Teaching was the first profession open to women soon after 1800. But even that was not an easy profession for women to enter because most schools and colleges were open only to men. Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college inAmericato accept women.

  Hospital nursing became respectable work for women only after Nightingale became fa?mous. Seeing that she was not only a nurse but also a rich and well-educated woman,people began to believe it was possible for women to nurse the sick and still be "ladies". Miss Nightin?gale opened England's first training school for nurses in 1860.

  The invention of the typewriter in 1867 helped to bring women out of the home and into the business world. By 1900, thousands of women were working at real jobs in schools, hospitals and offices in both England and America. Some women even managed to become doctors or lawyers. The idea that women could work in the business world had been accepted. 

(   ) 1. Why couldn't women become teachers easily? Because       

   A.the first profession open to them was writing.

   B.most schools and colleges were open only to men.

   C.they wanted to be nurses instead.

   D.they had to work in the business world. 

(   ) 2. The article is mainly about         .

   A.women in the business world

   B.the famous Bronte sisters

   C.schools and colleges inAmerica

   D.rights for American women

(   ) 3. Which fact does the article lead you to believe?

   A.The Bronte sisters thought that they were men.

   B.England's first training school for nurses was in Ohio.

   C.There are more men than women in professional jobs.

   D.Women find it necessary to work harder than before.

   The poverty line is the minimum income that people need for an acceptable standard of living. People with incomes below the poverty line are considered poor. Economists study the causes of poverty in order to find solutions to the problem.

   As the general standard of living in the country rises,the poverty line does,too. There?fore,even with today's relatively high standard of living, about 10 percent of the people in the United States are below the poverty line. However, if these people had stable jobs,they could have an acceptable standard of living. Economists suggest several reasons why poor people do not have jobs.

   For one thing,more than half of the poor people in the United States are not qualified to work. Over 40 percent of the poor people are children. By law,children less than 16 years old cannot work in many industries. A large number of poor people are old. Many companies do not hire people over 65 years old,the normal retirement age.

   Some poor adults do not look for jobs for a variety of personal reasons:they are sick,they do not have any motivation,they have family problems,or they do not believe that they can find a job.

   Other poor people look for a job but cannot find one. Many poor adults never went to high school. Therefore, when they look for jobs, they have few skills that they can offer.

At the present time,the government thinks it can reduce poverty in the country in the fol?lowing ways.

   First, if the national economy grows,businesses and industries hire more workers. Some of the poor who are qualified to look for jobs may find employment. Then they will no longer be below the poverty line.

Second, if society invests in the poor,the poor will become more productive. If the gov?eminent spends money on social programs,education,and training for poor people,the poor will have the skills to offer. Then it is more likely that they can find jobs.

   Finally, if the government distributes society's income differently, it raises some poor people above the poverty line. The government collects taxes from the non-poor and gives money to the poor. These payments to the poor are called welfare. In 1975 over 18 million people in the United States received welfare.

  Some economists are looking for better solutions to the poverty problem. However, at the present time,many people depend on welfare for a minimally acceptable standard of living. 

(       ) 1.The author's main purpose to write this article is        .

   A.to define what the poverty line is

   B.to explain why some people live below the poverty line

   C.to find solutions to the problem of poverty

   D.to show sympathy for those poor people 

(   ) 2. Which of the following is NOT true?

   A.Ten percent of the Americans live a poor life.

   B.Poor people are those who live below the poverty line.

   C.The poverty line rises as the general standard of living rises.

   D.The poverty line tends to be at the same level.

(   ) 3. More than 40 percent of the poor people are children. This is mainly because        .

   A.they do not have enough motivation

   B.they are so young that they don't have the right to work

   C.they fail to get enough education

   D.they are very poor in health

(   ) 4. Most of the American poor people are not qualified for employment because        .

   A.they do not have any motivation to work

   B.they are not self-confident enough

   C.they are too young or too old to work

  D.they have physical and family problems

(   ) 5. We may conclude from the passage that        .

   A.better solutions to the poverty problem are not yet found

   B.welfare will enable them to be rich

   C.poor people are sure to go out of the poverty line if they have chances to do busi?ness

   D.employment is the best solution to the poverty problem

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