Present or Future?

Americans are future-minded．They really live in the future．The present is just a way station． This enthusiasm for the future is really not shared even by all European countries．The French are known to be present-minded while the British are often called past-minded．For Japanese Zen followers, time is like a pool of water．Things just happen．There is no past, present or future．Egyptians are well known for their past mindedness．

I did not grow up with a telephone．So the Yellow Pages were something brand new for me when I first arrived in the U．S．．I still had the habit of going to a store only to find out that it didn't have what I needed．My wife used to ask , "Didn't you call before going there?" The concept of calling ahead of time requires planning and a future mind, while my upbringing was in a present-minded culture．

One thing my nuclear family enjoys when my mom visits is her cooking．So normally I ask my mom a couple of days in advance what things she needs for the upcoming meals．She is always sure that she has everything．The truth is that many times, in the middle of cooking, she will ask for items we don't have．That shows a present mind．You deal with it when you get there instead of doing advanced planning．

Listening to weather forecasts and then living your life accordingly is a sign of a future mind． Normally, when I get to work and see everyone walking around with their umbrellas, I figure that it will rain today．Here people are trained from their childhood to figure out at least that day's expected weather before leaving the house．I am normally missing my umbrella because it was not raining and the sky did not have dark clouds．Here my present mind gets me wetevery time．

Mainstream Americans have put inside themselves the clock to a degree which is beyond the comprehension of many cultures across the globe．So the annoyance many Americans face when working with people from other cultures is understandable．In today's dialogue, building the bridge to the 21st century may turn out to be easier than building bridges with other cultures, which may appear to be so foreign．However, they are vital partners for our interdependent life on this planet．

60．The author was most likely born in ____．

       A．America            B．France                 C．Britain                 D．Egypt

61．Which is true about the author?

       A．He was more future-minded than his mother．

       B．He received most of his education in Japan．

       C．He learned to check the weather before going out．

       D．He disliked calling the store before going shopping．

62．What's the main idea of the last paragraph?

       A．Americans value time more than any other culture．

       B．Americans should be understood by other cultures．

       C．Communication between cultures is easier than before．

       D．Harmony should be achieved despite cultural differences．

Some people seem easy to understand：their character appears obvious on first meeting. Appearances, however, can be deceptive. For thirty years now I have been studying my fellowmen. I don’t know very much about them. I shrug my shoulders when people tell me that their first impressions of a person are always right. I think they must have small insight or great vanity. For my own part I find that the longer I know people, the more they puzzle me.

I read in this morning's paper that Edward Hyde Burton had died. He was a merchant and he had been in business in Japan for many years.Once he gave me a great surprise. Unless I had heard the story from his own lips, I’d never have velieved that he was capable of such an action. He was always neatly and quietly dressed in accordance with his age and position. He didn’t talk much, but what he said was sensible. Tou couldn’;t imagine he’d possible raise his voice in anger. Here was a man who attracted you because you felt in him a real love for his fellows. He’d tell with point a good and spicy story, and in his youth he’d been something of an athete. He was a rich man and he’d made every penny himself. I suppose one thing that made you like him was that he was so weak; he arounsed your instinets（本能）of protection. TYou felt he couldn’t bear to hurt a fly.

       One afternoon Burton told me a “funny” story in a quiet, dry humour:

        “There was a namesake（同名人）of mine, who was the best bridge player I ever met. He  seemed to  have a fantastic instinct about the cards. I used to play with him a lot.”

“He was handsome in a way with curly hair and pink-and- white cleeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, he was only wild. Pf course he drank too much. He won a good deal of my money by card-playing.”

“One day he came to me when he went broke. He came to see me in my office and asked me for a job. I asked him how old he was.

“’Thirty-five’, he said.”

       "'And what have you been doing hitherto?' I asked him.

       "'Well, nothing very much,' he said.

       "'I'm afraid I can't do anything for you just yet,' I said. 'Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I'll see what I can do.'

"He didn't move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then he told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn't been willing to stick to bridge, he'd been playing poker, and he'd got trimmed. He hadn't a penny. He'd pawned everything he had. He couldn't pay his hotel bill and they wouldn't give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn't get something to do he'd have to commit suicide.

"I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He'd been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty. The girls wouldn't have thought so much of him if they'd seen him then.

"I got some glimmering of what he was driving at. I've known too many men who were little tin gods at their university.

 “Suddenly I had an idea.” Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me. “When I was young I swam over three miles round the beacon（灯塔）and landed at the river of Tarumi. It’s rather difficult on account of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young fellow about it and I said that if he’d do it I’d give him a job.

“I could see he was rather taken aback. He was not in good condition for sports. He looked at me for a moment and then he nodded.”

“I told him I’d drive round to the river at half past twelve and meet him.

       "Done,"he said.

“I wished him good luck and he left me.I had a lot of work to do that morning and I only just managed to the creek at Tarumi at half past twelve.But I needn't have hurried;he never turned up

       “Did he funk it at the last moment?” I asked.

“No,he didn't funk it. He started all right. But of course he'd ruined his constitution by drink. The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage. We didn't get the body for about three days

I didn't say anything for a moment or two.I was a trifle shocked.Then I asked.

       “When you made him that offer of a job, did you know he'd be drowned?'

       He looked at me with his kind blue eyes, smiling. "Well,I hadn't got a vacancy in my office at the moment.'

55．The author believes         .

       A．some people are too easy to understand

       B．appearance is just opposite to the quality

       C．first impressions can be misleading

       D．his fellowmen are not understandable

56．For some time, Edward Burton impressed the author most with his        .

      A．age and position                                   B．wealth and ability

       C．sensibility and humor                           D．kindness and weakness

57．The underlined words “he was all to picces” may mean         .

       A．he was mad and wild                           B．he was completely down

       C．he was sick and dirty                           D．he was totally drunk

58．We can infer from Burton’s story that his namesakes         .

       A．never saw through his trick                  B．annoyed him by playing cards

       C．could not do any job well                      D．intended to cheat him with a lie

59．We learned from the story that Edward Burton       .

      A．knew the young man would kill himself

       B．arranged the end of his namesake’s life

       C．did much for the poor fellowman

       D．killed his card-friend by mistake

60．Edward Burton could be described as a(n)     person.

       A．innocent              B．smart                  C．careless               D．evil

阅读理解

　　Most people do not know that Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts of America, was deaf. She began to lose her hearing when she was 17, and became almost totally deaf in her adulthood.

　　Juliette Gordon was born on October 31,1860, in Savannah, Georgia. Her family and friends all called her Daisy. When she was 14 she was sent to a school in Virginia that was run by some of Thomas Jefferson's granddaughters. A few years later, at the age of 17, she transferred to a school in New York.

　　Juliette married William Mackay Low and they went to England to live. Juliette became interested in the Girl Guides Association there. She observed their meetings and was very impressed because the girls acquired many useful skills. They learned how to cook, knit, tie knots and give first aid. They also learned about the history of the flag. Moreover, they developed important social skills as they learned how to work together. Juliette thought that girls everywhere should have this opportunity, so she decided to organize more troops.

　　Juliette organized several Girl Guides troops in both England and Scotland. Since she could not do all the work herself, she had to ask other women to help her. Sometimes the women were reluctant to give their time due to family responsibilities. However, Juliette was a very determined woman. When the women refused, she would pretend that she didn't understand what they said. As a result, the women helped her in spite of being busy.

　　Juliette always persevered until she motivated others to help her with her goals. One encounter that required her persistence happened while she was in Scotland. She was walking along a road one day when she came to a stream. The only way across the stream was by a foot log, and Juliette was afraid to cross it alone. She was wondering what to do when she saw a peddler coming down the road. She told the peddler to go across the bridge first, and she would follow with her hand on his shoulder. Although the peddler started to protest, her stubborn insistence again paid off. He reluctantly led her across the foot bridge. Once they were safely on the other side, the peddler explained to her that he was blind!

　　When Juliette came back to America for a visit, she started the first Girl Guides troop in the country in her home town, Savannah. By the time she went back to England six months later, there were six Girl Guide troops in Savannah. At that time, the girls each made their own uniforms.

　　In 1913, the Girl Guides changed its name to the Girl Scouts. Juliette Low came back to Savannah that same year. She decided that there should be Girl Scout troops all over the United States, so she worked toward that goal. The first national Girl Scout convention was held in Washington, D. C., on June 10,1915.

　　Juliette died in Savannah on January 17,1927. Thanks to her, there are now Girl Scouts all over the world. Juliette's home in Savannah is a national Girl Scout center.

1．Juliette started having trouble with her hearing when ________.

[　　]

A．she had a very high fever

B．she was 17 years old

C．she got married

D．she organized the Girl Scouts

2．“Sometimes the women were reluctant to give their time due to family responsibilities.” This sentence means ________.

[　　]

A．the women were eager to help her start Girl Guides troops

B．the women wanted to help, but had something due that they needed to work on

C．the women were in charge of other families

D．the women didn't want to help her because they were too busy with their families

3．The main idea of this passage can best be stated as ________.

[　　]

A．Juliette Low, a deaf woman, used determination and persistence to start Girl Scout troops all over the world

B．Juliette Low, a deaf woman, was very pushy and always got what she wanted

C．Juliette Low, a deaf woman, traveled to many different places in her life time but ended up back in Savannah

D．Without Juliette, the Girl Scouts would still only be a British phenomenon

4．“…Juliette started the first Girl Guides troop in the country in her home town of Savannah. By the time she went back to England six months later, there were six Girl Guide troops in Savannah.” From this statement we can assume that ________.

[　　]

A．Juliette liked the uniforms they Girl Guides wore

B．other people set up their own troops because they were jealous of Juliette

C．Juliette helped to start all six of these troops

D．the girls in the first troop argued and had to be separated into six different troops

5．Juliette did things in this order ________.

[　　]

A．went to England, married William, watched the Girl Guides meetings, organized her own Girl Guides troops

B．watched the Girl Guides meetings, went to England, married William, organized her own Girl Guides troops

C．married William, went to England, organized her own Girl Guides troops, watched the Girl Guides meetings

D．married William, went to England, watched the Girl Guides meetings, organized her own Girl Guides troops

6．After reading the passage, we can assume that ________.

[　　]

A．Juliette had to work because her husband didn't make enough money

B．Juliette enjoyed being busy and helping others

C．Juliette wanted to be a Girl Guide herself, but she was too old

D．Juliette's husband didn't approve of her involvement in this association