When my family moved to America in 2010 from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect(尊敬) elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.

I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive(敏感) Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.

In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.

However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.

After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words.

By Jack

1.Jack brought the couple their food very fast because _______.

A.the manager asked him to do so

B.he respected the elderly

C.the couple wanted him to do so

D.he wanted more pay

2.When Jack called the couple “elderly”, they became _______.

A.nervous           B.satisfied           C.unhappy          D.excited

3. In Jack’s hometown, _______.

A.people dislike being called “old”

B.people are proud of being old

C.many people reach the age of seventy or eighty

D.the elderly are the first to get food in restaurants

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A.The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got.

B.Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience.

C.The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple.

D.From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture.

 

                                                                              A

Everywhere I go, people are speaking on their cell telephones regardless of their surroundings (环境) . This happens when people are walking around a lake or through town, or even driving. I have even seen a person attempting to speak on her cell phone while ordering ice cream at Dairy Queen, thus speaking to two people at once.

As the over-spending of technology increases, people begin to take less joy in the simple pleasures of life—joys that don’t cost money—from observing clouds, playing with children to thinking or reading. And it is not just telephones that take the responsibility; too much value is placed on items (物品) from computers to cars. Many things are purchased (购买) merely(仅仅) to show off. Do you really need a cell phone that plays games, shows movies and takes pictures? No, cell phones should be purchased to use in urgent situations.You do not need to use your telephone when you are at someone else’s house or in a restaurant.

Technology and possessions (财产) do not bring joy. While some technology is necessary, it can get ridiculous(可笑的). Each possession just makes us want more, while simple pleasures can be enjoyed now and then.

Instead of spending our time buying a third television or looking into the newest cell phone models, we should be acting more productively to improve the world by volunteering, for example. Or, we should reconsider playing computer games or taking pictures on our cell phones and read a book or imagine what shapes the clouds are in the sky instead.

1.The author mentions cell phones at the beginning just to show _________.

A.they can be used on any occasion.

B.people manage to speak to two at a time.

C.they can put drivers in great danger.

D.people are fond of personal items.

2.People have less joy of simple life nowadays mainly because they _________.

A.focus on technology and their belongings.

B.use cell phones in less urgent situations.

C.buy private cars just to show off.

D.place too much value on computers.

3.We can infer that ________.

A.people have no time to play with their children.

B.we can take pleasure in using cell phones at any time.

C.people always desire more possessions.

D.we depend on volunteers to develop the world.

 

When you take a walk in any city, you often see a lot of people walking dogs. It is still true that a dog is the most useful and faithful animal in the world, but the reason why people keep a dog has changed. In the old days people used to train dogs to protect(保护) themselves against attacks by other beasts. Later they came to realize that a dog was not only useful for protection but willing to obey his master. For example, when people used dogs for hunting, the dogs would not eat what was caught without permission.

These days people in the city need not protect themselves against attacks from animals. Why do they keep dogs, then? Some people keep dogs to protect themselves from robbery(抢劫). But the most important reason is for companionship. For a child, a dog is a best friend when there are no friends to play with. For young couples, a dog is their child when they have no children. For old couples, a dog is also their child when their natural children have grown up. So the main reason why people keep dogs has changed from protection to friendship.

67. According to the passage, in the old days people trained dogs ______ .

for protection against robbery

just for fun

for companionship

for protection against other animals

68. The word "companionship" may mean ______ .

A. native     B. advice     C. friendly relationship(关系) D. usage

69. The dogs were used for hunting because ______ .

A. they were good hunters

B. they obeyed their masters

C. they were useful for protection

D. they did not eat other animals

70. The most important reason for people to keep dogs now is they ______ .

A. need companion

B. like children

C. enjoy hunting

D .want to protect themselves

71. We can infer from the passage that ______ .

A. dogs can be helpful to those who need company

B. city people always feel lonely

C. dogs can be boring (厌烦的)

D. the city can be a very dangerous place

 

For a small town, Mantattan, Kansas has some big surprises. And one of them is the Holiday Inn Hotel, with rooms built around a swimming pool and a friendly atmosphere.

The Holiday Inn is where Manhattan people often go for a special party, or a night out. A lot of them choose to eat in the bright‑lit restaurant near the pool, And many of them will be served by Ellen Logan, who has worked as a waitress here for more than two years.

Ellen, like most of the waitresses, is also a student. She comes from Nebraska, but she’s planning one day to be a veterinary surgeon, and to care for small animals. But in order to support herself at college, she works twenty hours a week at the Holiday Inn.

Ellen soon learned what every waitress finds out. Your best friend has a good pair of shoes. She paid forty‑five dollars for hers, much more than she would usually spend. She’s discovered something else too. You don’t have to know much about food to be a good waitress, but you do have to know a lot about people.

“A lot of business people always stay here when they come to Manhattan”, she explains. “They like you to recognize them and remember their favorite dishes. But some couples come for a night out together. They just want to be left alone. Then there are people who can’t make up their minds. They look down the menu and say,‘What do you suggest?’So I ask them how hungry they are. If they say,‘Not very.’I suggest the salad bar, with soup, salad, bread, and a fruit plate. But if they say they’re very hungry, I suggest a Kansas Strip Steak, with potatoes or rice. You get salad and bread as well. It’s very nice. Real good value”.

Ellen may get tired sometimes, but at least she’s learning too much about people. She’s learning too much about people. She’ll probably make a good animal doctor, but if she finds she doesn’t like it after all, she can become a psychiatrist(心理医生)instead.

1.What does the underlined phrase “a veterinary surgeon” mean?

A、An animal doctor    B、A hotel manager    C、A food expert    D、A restaurant waitress

2.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A、Businessmen like to be suggested what to eat.

B、Many couples often want you to recognize them.

C、Why people like to eat in the hotel is that it is full of a friendly atmosphere.

D、If you know a lot about people,you’ll be a good veterinary surgeon.

3.From the passage we can infer that       .

A、waitresses in the Holiday Inn are all students.

B、waitresses are required to buy a good pair of shoes before they go to work.

C、waitresses should be familiar with the food there.

D、it is more important for the waitresses to know much about people than food.

4.Choose the best title for the passage.

A、How to Deal with People        B、A Special Holiday Inn Hotel in Manhattan

C、American Holiday Inn          D、Ellen Logan at the Holiday Inn

 

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