“People’s private lives are very important so they never ask you personal questions about your family or where you live or your job. They never talk about religion or matters of finance, education or politics, but usually stay with safe subjects like the weather, films, plays, books and restaurants.”
“It’s difficult to know when to leave, but an evening meal usually lasts about three or four hours. When the host serves coffee, this is sometimes a sign that the evening is nearly over, but you can have as much coffee as you want.”
“If the invitation says eight o’clock then we arrive exactly at eight. With friends we know well, we sometimes arrive about fifteen minutes before.”
“Obviously it depends on the occasion, but most dinner parties are informal. The men don’t usually wear a suit, but they may wear a jacket and tie. Women are usually smart but casual.”

1. 1.

   The writer of the passage is probably_____.

   1. A.
      Chinese
   2. B.
      Japanese
   3. C.
      the English
   4. D.
      American
2. 2.

   What should you bring when you are invited to have dinner?

   1. A.
      Wine and cigarettes.
   2. B.
      Tea or drinks.
   3. C.
      Money and presents.
   4. D.
      Chocolates or flowers.
3. 3.

   Which of the following subjects are never talked about among the people?

   1. A.
      Politics, education, religion, or matters of finance.
   2. B.
      Family, books or plays.
   3. C.
      Weather, restaurant, or film.
   4. D.
      Job, money, weather or film and play.
4. 4.

   When the hostess serves coffee after the meal, it means _____.

   1. A.
      the evening meal will start at once
   2. B.
      the guests can stay more hours
   3. C.
      the evening meal has ended, the guests should prepare to leave
   4. D.
      there has not been any tea and other drinks
5. 5.

   Which of the following statements isn’t right?

   1. A.
      If you are invited for dinner, you should arrive on time.
   2. B.
      You should take off your shoes first after you step into the host’s door.
   3. C.
      The hostess always offer the guests something to drink when they arrive.
   4. D.
      You should accept the hostess’ drinks even if you’re not thirsty.

—Can I come to ask for some advice at any time?

— Yes, of course. _______

A. If you’re convenient.                       B. At your convenience.

C. Don’t worry.                              D. Don’t mention it.

A punctual person is in the habit of doing a thing at the proper time and is never late in keeping an appointment.

The unpunctual man, on one hand, never does what he has to do at the proper time. He is always in a hurry and in the end loses both time and his good name. A lost thing may be found again, but lost time can never be regained. Time is more valuable than material things. In fact, time is life itself. The unpunctual man is for ever wasting and mismanaging his most valuable asset (财产) as well as other’s. The unpunctual person is always complaining that he finds no time to answer letters, or return calls or keep appointments promptly. But the man who really has a great deal to do is very careful of his time and seldom complains of want of it. He knows that he can not get through his huge amount of work unless he faithfully keeps every piece of work when it has to be attended to.

Failure to be punctual in keeping one’s appointments is the sign of disrespect towards others. If a person is invited to dinner and arrives later than the appointed time, he keeps all the other guests waiting for him. Usually this will be regarded as a great disrespect to the host and all other guests present.

Unpunctuality, moreover, is very harmful when it comes to do one’s duty, whether public or private. Imagine how it would be if those who are put in charge of important tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time. A man who is known to be habitually unpunctual is never trusted by his friends or fellow men.

1. What does the author think is the main difference between a punctual person and an unpunctual person?

A. A punctual person does everything ahead of time while an unpunctual person does everything behind schedule.

B. A punctual person does everything at the right time while an unpunctual person seldom does anything at the correct time.

C. A punctual person has a lot of appointments while an unpunctual person has few appointments.

D. A punctual person has much time to do everything while an unpunctual person has little time to do anything.

2. According to the passage, the main reason that a person is always unpunctual is that _______.

A. he has more work to do than other people

B. he is always in a hurry when he works

C. he doesn’t care much about time

D. he always mismanages and wastes his time

3. According to the third paragraph, when you are invited to dinner, you should arrive there _______.

A. after other guests have arrived

B. before all other guests

C. at the appointed time

D. after the host has got things ready

4. Which of the following statements best describes the harm of unpunctuality?

A. If you are an unpunctual person, you cannot be in charge of any important task.

B. If your friends know that you are unpunctual, they may not see you again.

C. Unpunctuality may bring about heavy losses for both public and private affairs.

D. Unpunctuality may make you miss a lot of appointments and lose friends.

On a BA flight from Johannesburg, a middle-aged South African lady found herself sitting next to a black man. She called the cabin crew attendant over to complain about her seating.
“What seems to be the problem, Madam?” Asked the attendant.
“Can’t you see?” She said, “You’ve sat me next to a black. I can’t possibly sit next to this dirty disgusting human. Find me another seat!”
“Please calm down, Madam,” the attendant replied, “The flight is very full today, but I’ll tell you what I’ll do—I’ll go and check to see if we have any seats available in club or first class.”
A few minutes later, the attendant returned with the good news, which she delivered to the lady, who cannot help but look at the people around her with a smug and self-satisfied grin.
“Madam, unfortunately, as I guessed, economy is full. I’ve spoken to the cabin services director, and club is also full. However, we do have one seat in first class.”
Before the lady had a chance to answer, the attendant continued.
“It’s most extraordinary to make this kind of upgrade, however, and I have had to get special permission from the captain. But, according to this special situation, the captain felt that it was unbelievable that someone should be forced to sit next to such an obnoxious(讨厌的) person.”
Having said that, the attendant turned to the black man sitting next to the lady, and said, “So if you’d like to get your things, sir, I have your seat ready for you.”
At that moment, the surrounding passengers stood and gave a long-lasting ovation (欢呼) while the black man walked up to the front of the plane…
【小题1】What made the white South African lady angry?

A．She had to find the attendant to complain.

B．She couldn’t find another seat to sit down.

C．The passenger next to her is dirty.

D．She sat next to a black man.

—My name is Jonathan. Shall I spell it for you?

  —______.

A. If you don’t mind            B. Not at all           C. Take it easy       D. Nice to meet you