When my family moved to America 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(退休) 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.

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.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

3. After this experience, Jack ______.

A. lost his job in the restaurant      　

B. made friends with the couple

C. no longer respected the elderly　　　

D. changed his way with older people

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.

5.Which is the best title for this passage?

A.  Different countries, different customs     B.  Old people, old customs

C.  Different restaurants, different services    D.  Differences between old and young

阅读短文，完成下列各题。

What do you do at the weekend ? Some people like to stay at home and rest. Other people think going out for a walk is good for their health. My friend Jack works very hard from Monday to Friday. At weekends he always does the same things . On Saturday he washes his car and on Sunday he takes his family to a village(村庄) far from his house. His uncle and aunt live there, so Jack goes to see them every week. They have a big farm and only one worker(工人) to help them , so they are usually very busy. Jack often asks his family to help them. The children give the animals food. Jack and his wife work in the fields（田地）. After a long hard day of work, they are very tired and hungry.So Jack’s uncle gives them a nice meal. After that about five, they drive home.简略回答问题。

1.What does Jack do on Saturday?_____________________.

2.How many workers help Jack’s uncle and aunt do the farm work? _____________________

3.Jack and his wife work in the fields.  (划线部分提问)

______  ______ Jack and his wife work?

4.Some people like to stay at home and rest.  (否定句)

   Some people _________  ________ to stay at home and rest.

5.Jack often asks his family to help them.（一般疑问句）

________ Jack often _______ his family to help them?

句型转换
【小题1】To eat a balanced diet is very important. (改为同义句)
________ very important________ eat a balanced diet.
【小题2】Jack may know the answer to the question . (改为同义句)
__________ Jack_______ the answer to the question
【小题3】She goes to the movies once a week . (对划线部分提问)
_____  _____  ______  _____she ______ to the movies  a week ?
【小题4】My sister should get a new job  (改否定句)
My sister __________ get a new job.

词汇

1.I am very sorry to keep you __________(wait) for so long.

2.Jack is ___________(energy) enough to be the host of the charity show.

3.He preferred buying a new computer to ___________ it. (fix)

4.Green can give you energy, as it represents new life and ____________(grow)

5.Don’t be ____________(patient) with her. She is only a child.

6.His dream is _______(be ) a policeman.

7.We should save our pocket money and spend it ______(wise).

8.______good marks in the coming entrance exam, students are busy revising their lessons. (achieve)

9.I would rather ____________(wear) green than red. Red is a girl’s colour.

10.This piece of music is worth __________.( listen ).

— Where are you going, Jack?

— My hair is too long. I’ll have it _______.

A．cut              B．cuts              C．cutting            D．to cut