Question

Whether you’re eating at a fancy restaurant or dining in someone’s home, proper table manners are likely to help you make a good impression. According to a US expert, Emily Post, “All rules of table manners are made to avoid ugliness.”

While Henry Hitchings of the Los Angeles Times admits that good manners can reduce social conflict, he points out that mostly their purpose is protective – they turn our natural warrior-like selves into more elegant ones.

So where did table manners come from?

In medieval England, a writer named Petrus Alfonsi took the lead to urge people not to speak with their mouths full. And King David I of Scotland also proposed that any of his people who learned to eat more neatly be given a tax deduction (减除).

Disappointingly, that idea never caught on. It was during the Renaissance, when there were real technical developments, opinions of correct behavior changed for good. “None of these was more significant than the introduction of the table fork,” wrote Hitchings. “Gradually, as forks became popular, they brought the new way of eating, making it possible, for instance, to consume berries without making one’s fingers dirty.”

Forks were introduced to Britain in 1608 and 25 years later, the first table fork reached America. Yet while most of the essentials (基本要素) are the same on both sides of the Atlantic, there are a few clear differences between what’s normal in the US and what holds true in the UK. For example, in the US, when food needs cutting with a knife, people generally cut a bite, then lay aside the knife and switch the fork to their right hand. Then they pick up one bite at a time. By contrast, Britons keep the fork in the left hand and don’t lay the knife down.

Though globalization has developed a new, simpler international standard of table manners, some people still stick with the American cut-and-switch method.The Los Angeles Times noted, “They are hanging on to a form of behavior that favors manners above efficiency.”

1.What does the story mainly talk about?

A. The importance of proper table manners .

B. The development of table manners in Western countries.

C. Some unwritten rules of table manners in the US and UK.

D. Differences between American and British table manners.

2.The underlined phrase “caught on” in the passage probably means ______.

A. worked in practice B. became popular

C. drew attention D. had a positive effect

3.Which of the following events influenced people’s table manners most according to the article?

A. The introduction of forks.

B. The tax deduction policy.

C. The rise of the Renaissance.

D. Petrus Alfonsi’s efforts in promoting table manners.

4.What can we conclude from the article?

A.British and American table manners are completely different from each other.

B.American people pay more attention to their table manners than British people do.

C.With globalization, the American cut-and-switch method has been abandoned in the US.

D.British people’s way of using a knife and fork may be more efficient than American people’s.

Answer 1

1.B

2.B

3.A

4.D

【解析】

试题分析: 这篇文章讲述了餐桌礼仪的发展历史。英国作家Petrus Alfonsi和苏格兰国王King David 一世都为餐桌礼仪做出过贡献。

1.B考查主旨大意。根据前两段提到餐桌礼仪的重要性，作为铺垫引出了So where did table manners come from?然后在下文对餐桌礼仪的发展进行了介绍，可知：文章主要内容是关于西方国家餐桌礼仪的形成过程。故选B。

2.B考查猜词能力。根据第四段作者介绍了英国作家Petrus Alfonsi以及苏格兰国王King David I提出的有关餐桌礼仪的想法，和下文when there were real technical developments, opinions of correct behavior changed for good可知：当时他们提出的想法没有人赞同，由此判断caught on指“受欢迎，流行”的意思。故选B。

3.A考查细节理解。根据第五段“None of these was more significant than the introduction of the table fork,” wrote Hitchings.可知：在餐桌上叉子的使用对人们的餐桌礼仪有着最重要的影响。故选A

4.D考查推理判断。根据第六段in the US, when food needs cutting with a knife….. By contrast, Britons keep the fork in the left hand and don’t lay the knife down.可知：英国人使用刀叉的方法比美国人效率更高。故选D。

考点：记叙文。