I was born and raised in England in a culture where privacy and “keeping yourself to yourself”were valued traditions. Speaking to strangers was not encouraged. People were most hospitable(好客的) and friendly—but only once they had been introduced to new people.

However, I have been lucky enough to spend some time in both Italy and the US, where I found traditions of hospitality and politeness to be very different.

I experienced Italian hospitality first－hand on a crowded railway carriage travelling, one afternoon, from Genoa to Florence. Sinking gratefully into an empty seat, I was berated(斥责) in rapid Italian by a gentleman who was returning to this seat－it had not been “spare” after all. I apologized in English, and got up to allow him back into the seat. The gentleman obviously had no understanding of the English language, but he, too, realized my genuine mistake. He smiled and gestured for me to remain in the seat, and he himself remained standing in the corridor for the remainder of the journey. The other occupants of the carriage smiled and nodded at me and made me feel quite welcome amongst them. I feel that if this had been in England, a foreigner who made a mistake would not always be so kindly treated.

Transport also featured in the differences I noticed between English and American culture. I flew to New York on a plane with mainly English passengers. We sat together in near silence. Nobody spoke to me nor, as I expected, to anyone else they did not know. They felt it was not polite to intrude on someone else's privacy. However, when I travelled across the United States, whether by plane or Greyhound bus, I was never short of conversation. Conversation was going on all around me and whoever sat next to me was happy to introduce themselves and ask me about myself. They obviously felt it would have been rude not to speak to another person, whether they were strangers or not.

6. The purpose of the author is to tell us ________.

A. his travelling experience

B. cultural differences to show hospitality and politeness

C. the culture shock he experienced in Italy and the US

D. how to adapt ourselves to a new culture

7. What do we know about the occupants of the carriage when the author was travelling in Italy?

A. They all laughed at the author for his mistake.

B. They would not bear a mistake like the author's in public.

C. They were all on the side of the gentleman.

D. They all showed their understanding of the author's mistake.

8. The author probably believes the Italian people are________.

A. cold        B. rude           C. hospitable       D. helpful

9. According to the last paragraph, English passengers sat in near silence because________.

A. they were all strangers to each other

B. they were too tired to speak

C. privacy was a valued tradition in England

D. everybody had their own share of privacy

10. The last paragraph mainly tells us ________.

A. the difference between English and American culture

B. why Americans like to start a conversation

C. different attitudes of Englishmen and Americans towards conversation

D. the importance of privacy among Englishmen

To whom it may concern,
This letter describes the worst travel experience I have ever had．The problems we had were the result of poor management and thoughtless employees．Your airline should be ashamed of treating its  customers so poorly．
On January 5, we arrived in Denver from Houston and checked in for our next flight．It wasn’t long before the agent announced that our flight would be delayed because of a mechanical problem． The equipment was in Aspen, and they expected it to be repaired soon．
Soon shortly turned to much later, and during the delay, weather temporarily closed the Aspen airport．The weather cleared in Aspen and the plane took off very late for Denver．While it was in the air, the agent announced that the plane would be used for the next flight and that our flight was being cancelled．
This cancellation struck me as being unfair．There was a mad scramble （争先恐后） as the 50 or so passengers scheduled for our flight fought for seats on later flights．When the dust settled, we were wait-listed on the 9’-00 flight the next morning．We had to spend the night in the airport．
Coming home was no better．Because of a mechanical problem, it looked like we would miss our connection in Denver．The agent assured us they would hold the Newark flight for us．Needless to say, the flight to Houston taxied out as we pulled into the gate．Arrangements were made for us to take the next flight, so we sat in the airport for 5 hours．When we finally arrived in Houston, our skis were missing．As of this writing, the skis have not been found．
Nothing you can do will make us feel better about our flights．If you are a responsible business, however, you will do what you can to see that passengers in the future are treated better．
With great displeasure,
Phyllis Dooley
【小题1】When Phyllis wrote her letter, she felt ______．

To whom it may concern,

This letter describes the worst travel experience I have ever had．The problems we had were the result of poor management and thoughtless employees．Your airline should be ashamed of treating its  customers so poorly．

On January 5, we arrived in Denver from Houston and checked in for our next flight．It wasn't long before the agent announced that our flight would be delayed because of a mechanical problem． The equipment was in Aspen, and they expected it to be repaired soon．

Soon shortly turned to much later, and during the delay, weather temporarily closed the Aspen airport．The weather cleared in Aspen and the plane took off very late for Denver．While it was in the air, the agent announced that the plane would be used for the next flight and that our flight was being cancelled．

This cancellation struck me as being unfair．There was a mad scramble （争先恐后） as the 50 or so passengers scheduled for our flight fought for seats on later flights．When the dust settled, we were wait-listed on the 9'-00 flight the next morning．We had to spend the night in the airport．

Coming home was no better．Because of a mechanical problem, it looked like we would miss our connection in Denver．The agent assured us they would hold the Newark flight for us．Needless to say, the flight to Houston taxied out as we pulled into the gate．Arrangements were made for us to take the next flight, so we sat in the airport for 5 hours．When we finally arrived in Houston, our skis were missing．As of this writing, the skis have not been found．

Nothing you can do will make us feel better about our flights．If you are a responsible business, however, you will do what you can to see that passengers in the future are treated better．

With great displeasure,

Phyllis Dooley

1.When Phyllis wrote her letter, she felt ______．

    A．tired          B．fooled         C．annoyed        D．ashamed

2.What was Phyllis' destination when she left home on January 5?

    A．Denver．       B．Houston．     C．Aspen．        D．Not mentioned

3.What happened to Phyllis on her day coming home?

    A．She took a taxi to Houston airport．

    B．Her flight to Houston was cancelled．

    C．Her flight was delayed for five hours．

    D．She missed her connection in Denver．

To whom it may concern,
This letter describes the worst travel experience I have ever had．The problems we had were the result of poor management and thoughtless employees．Your airline should be ashamed of treating its  customers so poorly．
On January 5, we arrived in Denver from Houston and checked in for our next flight．It wasn’t long before the agent announced that our flight would be delayed because of a mechanical problem． The equipment was in Aspen, and they expected it to be repaired soon．
Soon shortly turned to much later, and during the delay, weather temporarily closed the Aspen airport．The weather cleared in Aspen and the plane took off very late for Denver．While it was in the air, the agent announced that the plane would be used for the next flight and that our flight was being cancelled．
This cancellation struck me as being unfair．There was a mad scramble （争先恐后） as the 50 or so passengers scheduled for our flight fought for seats on later flights．When the dust settled, we were wait-listed on the 9’-00 flight the next morning．We had to spend the night in the airport．
Coming home was no better．Because of a mechanical problem, it looked like we would miss our connection in Denver．The agent assured us they would hold the Newark flight for us．Needless to say, the flight to Houston taxied out as we pulled into the gate．Arrangements were made for us to take the next flight, so we sat in the airport for 5 hours．When we finally arrived in Houston, our skis were missing．As of this writing, the skis have not been found．
Nothing you can do will make us feel better about our flights．If you are a responsible business, however, you will do what you can to see that passengers in the future are treated better．
With great displeasure,
Phyllis Dooley

1. 1.

   When Phyllis wrote her letter, she felt ______．

   1. A.
      tired
   2. B.
      fooled
   3. C.
      annoyed
   4. D.
      ashamed
2. 2.

   What was Phyllis’ destination when she left home on January 5?

   1. A.
      Denver．
   2. B.
      Houston．
   3. C.
      Aspen．
   4. D.
      Not mentioned
3. 3.

   What happened to Phyllis on her day coming home?

   1. A.
      She took a taxi to Houston airport．
   2. B.
      Her flight to Houston was cancelled．
   3. C.
      Her flight was delayed for five hours．
   4. D.
      She missed her connection in Denver．

To whom it may concern,

This letter describes the worst travel experience I have ever had．The problems we had were the result of poor management and thoughtless employees．Your airline should be ashamed of treating its  customers so poorly．

On January 5, we arrived in Denver from Houston and checked in for our next flight．It wasn't long before the agent announced that our flight would be delayed because of a mechanical problem． The equipment was in Aspen, and they expected it to be repaired soon．

Soon shortly turned to much later, and during the delay, weather temporarily closed the Aspen airport．The weather cleared in Aspen and the plane took off very late for Denver．While it was in the air, the agent announced that the plane would be used for the next flight and that our flight was being cancelled．

This cancellation struck me as being unfair．There was a mad scramble （争先恐后） as the 50 or so passengers scheduled for our flight fought for seats on later flights．When the dust settled, we were wait-listed on the 9'-00 flight the next morning．We had to spend the night in the airport．

Coming home was no better．Because of a mechanical problem, it looked like we would miss our connection in Denver．The agent assured us they would hold the Newark flight for us．Needless to say, the flight to Houston taxied out as we pulled into the gate．Arrangements were made for us to take the next flight, so we sat in the airport for 5 hours．When we finally arrived in Houston, our skis were missing．As of this writing, the skis have not been found．

Nothing you can do will make us feel better about our flights．If you are a responsible business, however, you will do what you can to see that passengers in the future are treated better．

With great displeasure,

Phyllis Dooley

64．When Phyllis wrote her letter, she felt ______．

       A．tired              B．fooled            C．annoyed          D．ashamed

65．What was Phyllis' destination when she left home on January 5?

       A．Denver．          B．Houston．       C．Aspen．           D．Not mentioned

66．What happened to Phyllis on her day coming home?

       A．She took a taxi to Houston airport．

       B．Her flight to Houston was cancelled．

       C．Her flight was delayed for five hours．

       D．She missed her connection in Denver．