The Japanese are used to b________ to each other when they meet.

　 “Happy New Year!”Everyone will greet each other with these words as they meet over the next couple of weeks．But it wasn’t always January l that marked the New Year．

　 At least 4，000 years ago the ancient Egyptians and Bahylo-nians(古巴比伦人)marked the changing of the year．In Egypt, the year started when the Nile River(尼罗河)flooded，enriching farmers’ fields with silt(淤泥)．This happened at the end of September．

　 The Babylonians held a festival in spring，on March 23,to kick off the next farming cycle．The Babylonian celebration lasted for l l days．

The date January l was picked by the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar as the change of the year when he established his own calendar in 4 6 BC．The month of January was named after the Roman god，Janus(雅努斯)．He is pictured with two heads．0ne head looks forward and the other back．They represent a break between the old and new．That new calendar was in time with the sun and it has been used until the present day.

　 Around the world，different cultures have their own traditions for welcoming the New Year．The Japanese hang straw rope across the front of their houses to keep out evil spirits and bring happiness and good luck．They also have a good laugh as the year begins to get things started on a lucky note．

　 In India people like to wear pink, red ,purple and white flowers. Women favor yellow，the colour of spring．Hindus also leave shrines next to their beds so they see beautiful objects when they wake up．

　 Canadians enjoy the traditional polar bear swim．People of all ages put on their swimsuits and jump into frozen lakes．

60. Which ancient country has a great effect on the New Year we are celebrating now?

A．Egypt．　 　　　　　　 B．Rome．　

C．Babylon．　　　　　　 D．India．

61. What’s the main idea of the last three paragraphs?

A. In different countries people celebrate the New Year in different ways

B.People in different countries celebrate the New Year in different times of the year．

C. Which country has the best tradition for welcoming the New Year?

D. In different countries people play different games to celebrate the New Year．

62.What can we infer from this passage?

A. Everyone will greet each other with “Happy New Year” for several months．

B. Women favour yellow flowers in Japan when they celebrate the New Year．

C. Canadians like swimming in the lake to celebrate the New Year though it is very cold．

D. Human beings have been celebrating the New Year for no more than 4．000 years．

A woman from Japan was telling a friend about her trip to the United States.The woman had visited major businesses and investment companies in New York City and Chicago.

“I studied English before I left home，”she said.“But I still was not sure that people were speaking English.”

Her problem is easy to understand.Americans in business are like people who are in business anywhere.They have a language of their own.Some of the words and expressions deal with the special areas of their work.Other expressions are borrowed from different kinds of work such as the theater and movie industry.

One such saying is “get your act together”．

When things go wrong in a business，an employer may get angry.He may shout，“Stop making mistakes.Get your act together.”

Or，if the employer is calmer，he may say，“Let us get our act together.”

Either way，the meaning is the same.Getting your act together is getting organized.In business，it usually means to develop a calm and orderly plan of action.

It is difficult to tell exactly where the saying began.But，it is probable that it was in the theater or movie industry.Perhaps one of the actors was nervous and made a lot of mistakes.The director may have said，“Calm down，now.Get your act together.”

Word expert James Rogers says the expression was common by the late 1970s.Mister Rogers says the Manchester Guardian newspaper used it in 1978.The newspaper said a reform policy required that the British government get its act together.

Now，this expression is heard often when officials of a company meet.One company even called its yearly report，“Getting Our Act Together.”

The Japanese visitor was confused by another expression used by American business people.It is cut to the chase.

She heard that expression when she attended an important meeting of one company.One official was giving a very long report.It was not very interesting.In fact，some people at the meeting were falling asleep.

Finally，the president of the company said，“Cut to the chase.”

Cut to the chase means to stop spending so much time on details or unimportant material.Hurry and get to the good part.

Naturally，this saying was started by people who make movies.Hollywood movie producers believe that most Americans want to see action movies.Many of their movies show scenes in which the actors chase each other in cars，or in airplanes or on foot.

Cut is the director’s word for stop.The director means to stop filming，leave out some material，and get to the chase scene now.

So，if your employer tells you to cut to the chase，be sure to get to the main point of your story quickly.

1.After the woman visited the United States she might feel that ________.

A．her English was poor

B．it’s easy to master English

C．it’s difficult to make money

D．people there weren’t very friendly

2.In which situation could the words “get your act together” be used?

A．A task is completed successfully.

B．Players perform badly in a match.

C．Audience is satisfied with the actor’s performance in a movie.

D．Visitors make a tiresome and unpleasant trip to someplace.

3.According to the text，the expression “get one’s act together” ________.

A．was first used by a Japanese businesswoman

B．was forbidden to be used in the government policy

C．originally came from a yearly report of a company

D．was commonly read by readers in a newspaper in 1978

4.What do the sayings “get your act together” and “cut to the chase” have in common?

A．Their use.? B．Their meaning.

C．Their origin.? D．Their popularity.