Once I mentioned the story of a friend getting something made for me to give my daughter as a present, and then not letting me pay her back. Writing about that made me think about the problem of communicating feelings, particularly in cross – cultural situations. Let me explain.

If I say to a fellow English – speaker, “I know how you feel,” what I am actually saying is that I can imagine myself in the same position, and therefore can imagine how I would feel. But my friend could perfectly correctly reply, “No, you don’t! You can’t.” In truth we can communicate how strongly we feel, but we cannot communicate exactly what we feel.

But if we come from the same linguistic and cultural background, the match can be close enough.

Culture and language cannot be separated, and I think that we have the feelings that are recognized in our culture and therefore represented in our language. One might say that we feel the things that our language allows us to express. So when it comes to trying to explain feelings to someone of a different mother tongue, the difficulties are huge.

I could not explain to my friend how I felt about her not letting me repay her, because Chinese culture, it seems, does not recognize the same feelings on such occasions.

She could understand the words that I was using, but could not understand what I was trying to say.

Some time ago, I was going up in the lift, and a colleague with whom I merely have a nodding acquaintance was offering round some sweetmeat. I knew that I really could not eat it, so I refused politely, only to be told that I was making her lose face.

I have no idea how serious the colleague was being. Causing someone to lose face is a serious social mistake. We have to do all we can to learn the types of situation in which it happens, and to try to avoid them. But we can only know about losing face, we can’t feel losing face, as the term is merely a literal translation of Chinese, not one that is native to English.

56. What does the author intend to express in the second paragraph?

A. The author’s friend feels insulted if other people know how she feels.

B. The author’s friend can’t understand the real meaning of the author.

C. The author and her friend can communicate feelings with each other.

D. The author’s friend does not understand English.

57. What does the author mean by saying “… the match can be close enough.”

A. They can share similar opinions and thoughts.            B. They can make a perfect couple.

C. There can be some competition between them.            D. They are even in a match.

58. According to the author, it is        to explain feelings to someone of a different language.

A. very difficult        B. a little bit difficult  C. not difficult at all       D. impossible

59. This passage is focused on           .

A. how to avoid making people lose face       B. cultural differences between the east and the west

C. the importance of one’s cultural background  D. how to be acquainted with Chinese culture

Jeanne Calment, a French woman, became a record breaker on 17 October of 1995, when at the age of 120 years and 238 days, she became the longest-lived human being on record. A Japanese man died in 1986 at the age of 120 years and 237 days.

Jeanne Calment lives in a small old people’s home in the south of France; her husband, her only child and her grandson have all died. She is nearly blind and deaf and is always in a wheelchair, but her doctor describes her as being more like a 90-year-old in good health than someone of 120. She still has a lively sense of humor. When asked on her 120th birthday what she expected of the future, she replied: A very short one. She also remarked that she thought the good Lord had forgotten all about her. 

So what is the key to a long life? According to some doctors, diet, exercise and no smoking are the three important factors. Jeanne Calment has followed two of the tips(窍门). She has always eaten a healthy diet, and she used to do exercises every day until she broke her leg at the age of 115. However, until recently she drank two glassed of strong red wine a day, and she does smoke (now only a little). Besides, Jeanne Calment might have got very good genes(基因) from her parents. Her father lived to the age of 94 and her mother to 86. 

A local lawyer bought her house when she was 80 under an agreement that he would pay her some money every year until her death. It must have seemed a good move at the time, but so far the lawyer has paid her at least three times the value of the house. Every year on her birthday Jeanne Calment sends him a card saying:

Sorry, I’m still alive!

1. How does Jeanne Calment feel about her old age?

A. She is miserable and unhappy.

B. She is cheerful and humorous.

C. She would like to live much longer.

D. She feels she is going to die very soon.

2. Jeanne Calment owes her good health and long life to _______.

A. smoking only a little every day

B. her giving up smoking and drinking

C. drinking two glasses of strong red wine every day

D. the good genes from her parents, a healthy diet and some exercises

3. Which of the following could best replace the word “move” in the fourth paragraph?

A. deal                  B. trick                 C. march              D. sport

4. Why does Jeanne Calment say “Sorry, I’m still alive” to the local lawyer every year on her birthday?

A. Because she had an agreement at 80 with the lawyer which was to her advantage.

B. Because she has asked the lawyer to pay her more rent than they first agreed.

C. Because the lawyer has paid her much more money than the value of the house.

D. Because the house she sold to the lawyer isn’t worth the money he has already paid.

Young visitors to museums often complain(抱怨)about having museum feet，the

tired feeling one gets after spending too much time in a museum．A case of museum feet

makes one feel like saying：“This is boring．I could have done the painting myself．

When can we sit down? What time is it?

Studies of museum behavior show that the average visitor spends about four seconds looking at one object．For young visitors，the time call be even shorter．Children are more interested in smells，sounds，and the “feel’’ of a place than looking at a work of art．If they stay in a museum too long，they will feel tired and become impatient．

To avoid museum feet，try not to have children look at too many things in one visit．It is reported that young visitors get more out of a visit if they focus on no more than nine objects．One and a half hours is the ideal(理想的)time to keep their eyes and minds sharp，and their feet happy.

1.When a child gets “museum feet”, he or she feels     ．

2.To attract more children，museums should offer more    ．

3.Children can benefit most from a visit to a museum if they spend        .

4.What’s the passage mainly about?

A

B

C

D

E

F

请阅读以下中学生的信息，然后匹配各中学生和他或她要选修的课程：

Mike spent his childhood mostly in his father’s study, where he read novels by British and American writers. Next term he will become a senior student. He thinks it’s time that he read more of their works and learned to write about them.

Joseph is good at the language arts, and in his spare time he likes to write short stories. It is his wish that his stories would be printed in local newspapers. So he is thinking of taking a course to develop his writing skills such as wording and paragraph organization.

Anna takes an active part in social activities. She is trying to write reports for newspapers about what she sees and hears. But few of them are accepted because of poor organization of information. She feels the need to improve her writing and communication skills next term.

Jan traveled worldwide with his parents when he was very young. Under their influence, he becomes greatly interested in stories of travel and adventure. He hopes to write his own stories in the future. So next term, he will choose a course to study the best writing of this type.

Susan comes from China. As a junior back home, she wrote quite a lot of short stories, some of which were published in newspapers. Her parents hoped she read some classics by Asian and Western writers. She thinks it helpful in her writing. So she is going to take a course of this kind next term.

  中学生                                   选修课程

61. Mike                                  A. Creative Writing

62. Joseph                                 B. Journalism

63. Anna                                  C. American & British Classics

64. Jan                                    D. Technical Writing

65. Susan                                  E.  Non-fiction

                                          F. World Literature

Listen carefully, working people, we would like to tell you something that could save your precious time and money! Best of all, it is free!

It’s “no”.

What do you ask? We’ll say it again: “No”.

Sweet and simple “no”.

Say “no” at your office and see how quickly that pile of work on your desk disappears.

“Saying ‘no’ to others means you are saying ‘yes’ to yourself, ” said Leslie Charles, a professional speaker from East Lansing, Michigan.

“Time is precious. People are spending money buying time. And yet we are willing to give up our time because we can’t say ‘no’.”

Susie Watson, a famous writer, said people who always say “yes” need to say “no” without guilt(内疚)or fear of punishment. “I would rather have someone give me a loving ‘no’ than an obligated(强制的) ‘yes’, ” she said.

Susie Watson says she feels “no” obligation to give an explanation when she says “no” either socially or professionally. Does she feel guilty about it? “Not at all, ” said Watson, who is director of advertising and public relations at Timex Corp in Middlebury, Conneticut. “Most people are afraid of saying ‘no’… My advice is to say ‘yes’ only if you don’t mean ‘no’.”

Watson said “no” is the most effective weapon against wasting time. “Every year there are more demands on your time… Other people are happy to use up your time, ” Watson said. Time saving appears to be “no’s” greatest friend.

“No” can be your new friend, a powerful tool to take back your life. “No” may even take you further in the business world than “yes”.

“No” is power and strength. “No” now seems completely correct. “Saying ‘no’ isn’t easy. But finally it’s greatly liberating,” Charles said. But, he added, a “no” project needs to be worked on every day because it is hard to change long-term habit.

But, he also warns: “Don’t go to extremes. Don’t find yourself saying ‘no’ to everything. In return you should learn to hear ‘no’.”

The sentence “Saying ‘yes’ to yourself” means _______.

A. you can have more time to play with others

B. you needn’t care about other’s feeling if you are happy

C. you are selfish and treat others rudely

D. you can deal with your business as you have planned

When you say “no” to others you should say it in a _______.

A. secret way　　　B. polite way

C. proud way　　　　　D. guilty way

In Watson’s opinion, people can save much time on condition that _______.

A. they say “no” at a suitable time

B. they say “no” as much as possible

C. they are afraid of saying “no”

D. they make others angry at them

If a person says “no” to everything, the result he or she receive may be that he or she _______.

A. enjoys a wonderful life     B. makes a lot of money

C. faces difficulty in life　　D. forgets to say “yes” in the end