We have two daughters:Kristen is seven years old and Kelly is four.Last Sunday evening,we invited some people home for dinner.I dressed them nicely for the party,and told them that their job was to join Mommy in answering the door when the bell rang.Mommy would introduce them to the guests,and then they would take the guests' coats upstairs and put them on the bed in the second bedroom.
The guests arrived.I introduced my two daughters to each of them.The adults were nice and kind and said how lucky we were to have such good kids.
Each of the guests made a particular fuss over Kelly,the younger one,admiring her dress,her hair and her smile.They said she was a remarkable girl to be carrying coats upstairs at her age.
I thought to myself that we adults usually make a big“to do”over the younger one because she's the one who seems more easily hurt.We do it with the best of intentions.
But we seldom think of how it might affect the other child.I was a little worried that Kristen would feel she was being outshined.I was about to serve dinner when I realized that she had been missing for twenty minutes.I ran upstairs and found her in the bedroom,crying.
I said,“What are you doing,my dear?”
She turned to me with a sad expression and said,“Mommy,why don't people like me the way they like my sister?Is it because I'm not pretty?Is that why they don't say nice things about me as much?”
I tried to explain to her,kissing and hugging her to make her feel better.
Now,whenever I visit a friend's home,I make it a point to speak to the elder child first.
(1)
The underlined expression“make a big' to do' over”(paragraph 4)means ________
[ ]
A.
do good things for
B.
list jobs to be done for
C.
have a special effect on
D.
show much concern about
(2)
The guests praised Kelly for carrying costs upstairs because of her ________
[ ]
A.
young age
B.
lovely smile
C.
pretty clothes
D.
beautiful hair
(3)
Kristen felt sad and cried because ________
[ ]
A.
the guest gave her more coats to carry
B.
the guests praised her sister more than her
C.
her mother didn't introduce her to the guests
D.
she didn't look as pretty as Kelly
(4)
We can conclued from the passage that ________
[ ]
A.
adults should treat children equally
B.
people usually like the younger children more
C.
the younger children are usually more easily hurt
D.
parents should pay more attention to the elder children
When I first came to America, I made friends with a neighbour who used to live a couple blocks from my street.We used to visit each other, do some activities, and go out together sometimes.This friend taught me a lot about American culture, but in some cases I had to learn the hard way because we didn't have enough time together as friends for me to learn all about American culture from him.
One day this same friend invited me to a party.It wasn't a real party, it was some kind of informal get-together.Since it was summertime he had a cookout where most of his American friends and relatives were known to me, but there were others I had never met before.
It was the most embarrassing party for me when I noticed that everybody was wearing jeans and simple T-shirts for the day, while I arrived in proper dress with my shoes and my hair all fixed for a fancy party.It was hard to explain my embarrassment to the other guests.When one of them turned around and said,“What nice clothes!What's the occasion!”I felt my face burning hot with embarrassment.I did not answer at all.If she knew how bad I already felt, she wouldn't have come near me.But she did.Maybe she didn't ask intentionally to make me feel bad or uncomfortable, but my reaction had to do with the way I already felt.I could have told her I had to go to another party afterward, but I didn't want to continue the conversation.
Many times I thought about going home and changing, but I knew that they would notice.It would be even worse for me, because I knew they would quickly think that I felt out of place.So I wanted to pretend that I was okay.
I had already realized their customs were different from mine, but after I talked to my friend, I was more convinced(感到信服的)that people here are more casual.They care less about formality, unless it is a special occasion, like a wedding or a very formal invitation.
In contrast, my culture is totally the opposite.For instance, in Cape Verdean culture, if a friend invited me to his house on a special day, even if it is not a real party, one should appear well dressed or otherwise the host will be annoyed thinking you are disrespectful to him or the other guests.We do dress casually for going on picnics or on ordinary days, but not normally to go over to a friend's when invited if other people will be there.
After all, I think that my problem at the party wasn't that I wasn't accepted by the Americans; but my feeling was so bad that I couldn't fit in the group even if nobody noticed, because I was the one who discovered the difference in the first place.It does not matter if people dress differently, but I was the only one different in the group.I felt I was the one who should adjust to their customs.After that, I decided to learn more about American culture, so now I don't have as many problems as I've had in the past.
(1)
Which of the statements describes the cookout in the story?
[ ]
A.
It was very formal.
B.
People wore casual clothing.
C.
It took place in a restaurant.
D.
There, the author knew all the guests.
(2)
This story is mainly about ________.
[ ]
A.
cultural differences
B.
living in the United States
C.
what to do at a cookout
D.
how to dress up in a foreign country
(3)
It can be inferred from the story that the author ________.
[ ]
A.
left the cookout early
B.
probably didn't enjoy the cookout.
C.
never wears blue jeans
D.
doesn't like the way others wear
(4)
Where does the author come originally?
[ ]
A.
America
B.
China
C.
Cape Verde
D.
the passage doesn't say
(5)
Why did the author feel embarrassed at the cookout?
[ ]
A.
He wore more formal clothing than the others attending the cookout.