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Kiss crisis, hug horrors and the UK's handshake headaches
Greeting someone, saying goodbye – these situations fill me with unease. You have a second to make a dangerous decision. One peck (轻吻)? Two pecks? Three? No kisses at all? Why, I think, as I crash into the other person’s face, why can’t it be as simple as a handshake?
A survey by the soap company Radox in May showed one in five Brits now feels a handshake is “too formal”, according to the Daily Mail. Some 42 percent said they never shook hands when greeting friends. For one third of people the alternative was a hug, for 16 percent a kiss on the cheek.
British people are known to be reserved (保守的) – unfriendly, some would say. Handshakes used to work for us because we didn’t have to get too close. But the super-British handshake is no longer fashionable. We want to be more like our easygoing Mediterranean neighbors who greet each other with kisses and hugs.
The trouble is, we still find it a bit awkward. What does a married man do when greeting a married female friend, for example? How should someone younger greet someone older?
Guys don’t tend to kiss one another; my male friends in Britain go for the “manly hug”, taking each other stiffly (不自然地) in one arm and giving a few thumps on the back with words like “Take it easy, yeah?”.
The biggest questions, if you do decide to kiss, are how many times and which cheek first. Unlike the French, who comfortably deliver three, our cheek-pecks usually end in embarrassed giggling (咯咯笑): “Oh, gosh, sorry, I didn’t mean to kiss you on the lips, I never know where to aim for first!”
But then it’s never been easy for us poor, uncomfortable Brits. Even the handshake had its problems: don’t shake too hard, but don’t hold the other person’s hand too limply (无力地) either, and definitely don’t go in with sweaty hands.
Maybe it’s better to leave it at a smile and a nod.
45. What is the article mainly about?
A. Origin of the traditional British way of greeting someone.
B. New trends and problems that Brits have with the way they greet people.
C. Why the author feels uneasy when greeting someone or saying goodbye.
D. Differences in greetings between Britain and other Western countries.
46. What did the survey by the soap company Radox show?
A. It is now considered unfriendly to greet friends with a handshake in Britain.
B. A kiss on the cheek is becoming the most popular form of greeting in Britain.
C. Most Brits no longer offer to shake hands with those they meet.
D. More and more Brits prefer to be greeted with a hug or kiss.
47. The underlined word “awkward” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______.
A. not helpful B. too informal C. quite embarrassed D. very interesting
48. Which does the author think might be the safest form of greeting for a British person?
A. A hug. B. A smile and a nod. C. A handshake. D. A kiss on the cheek.
49. Who wrote the article?
A. A British writer. B. An American writer. C. A French writer. D. A Chinese writer.
查看习题详情和答案>>听力测试(满分30分)
第一节
听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。
W：Do you need any help, sir?
M：Yes．Would you like to tell me the way to the Science Museum?
W：Science Museum?
1．What does the woman mean?
A．She is unwilling to tell the man．
B．She knows the place well．
C．She doesn’t know the place．
M：Sorry to bother you, but do you have any change for one dollar?
W：I’ll have to look．What do you want it for?
M：I need it for the parking meter．
W：I can give you 4 quarters if that’ll help．
2．What is the man going to do with the change?
A．To park his car．
B．To make a phone call．
C．To buy something to eat．
W：Here is a picture of Susan taken last week．
M：May I have a look?
W：Sure．It flatters Susan a bit．She is not so pretty actually．
M：No, by no means, and she doesn’t look so young as she appears on
the picture．
3．What does the man think of Susan?
A．She is prettier and younger．
B．She is less pretty but younger．
C．She is less pretty and older．
M：Mom, Dad called and said that he wouldn’t be home for dinner．
W：Did he say why?
M：Yes, he said that one of the men was sick and he was going to stay
for the afternoon shift．
4．Why won’t the man’s father be home for dinner?
A．To look after a sick person．
B．To take the place of someone．
C．To have dinner in the afternoon．
W：Kate, let’s go for a drive somewhere this weekend．
M：That’s a good idea．Just the two of us!
W：I thought that the whole family could go together．
M：I’m afraid that the kids can’t．Jenny is staying at the university this
weekend to study．Peter and Linda going on a trip this weekend with
their school．
5．What is the relation between the speakers?
A．Couple．
B．Friends．
C．Partners．
第二节
听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。
听第6段材料，回答第6～7题。
“Are we poisonous?” the young snake asked his mother．
“Yes, dear, ” she replied．“Why do you ask?”
“Because I’ve just bitten my tongue!” said the young snake sadly．
6．How was the mother snake feeling when asked the question?
A．Puzzled．
B．Interested．
C．Disappointed．
7．Which frightens the young snake?
A．He is poisonous．
B．He is going to die．
C．He has lost his tongue．
听第7段材料，回答第8～10题。
W：What are your plans for today, Mike? Nick and I are going shopping．Do you want to come too?
M：Well, as a matter of fact, I’m meeting Steve．He’s writing an article
and he’s asked me to take some photographs for it．
W：An article? What about?
M：Oh, just people…Anyway, I’m seeing Steve at the zoo．
W：Oh well, let’s meet for lunch, shall we? How about that sandwich bar we went to on Friday．I’ll see you there about one．
M：I’d love to, but I’m afraid we won’t finish by then．
8．What photos does Steve want?
A．Showing that he is writing．
B．Matching what he is writing．
C．Reflecting(反映)how he is writing．
9．When will Mike join Steve?
A．In the morning．
B．In the afternoon．
C．In the evening．
10．Which of the following might Mike do?
A．Go shopping with the woman．
B．Have lunch with Nick Friday．
C．Work over lunchtime．
听第8段材料，回答第11～13题。
W：The weather here is so changeable．Did you hear how cold it got last night?
M：I heard the radio announcer say it was 18 degrees below zero．
W：That’s cold．I could hardly start my car, it was so cold this morning!
M：My car didn’t want to start, either, at first．
W：Don’t you have a garage?
M：Not in the new apartment．We have to leave the car in the parking lot．
W：How much anti-freeze do you put in your car then? You must have to keep it well below zero．
M：I do．Right now I have it protected to 30 below．
W：Does it ever get that cold around here?
M：Not really．It sometimes gets to 20 below．
W：Speaking of cold, how about going for a cup of coffee to warm up？
M：Good idea．
11．What did the man do with his car?
A．He failed to start it．
B．He managed to start it．
C．He could easily start it．
12．What do you know about the man?
A．He preferred to leave his car outside．
B．He was too poor to get a garage．
C．He had recently moved his house．
13．What was the weather like last night?
A．It was colder than the day before．
B．It was colder than ever before．
C．It was warmer than reported．
听第9段材料，回答第14～16题。
W：Hello, Ultimate Computers．May I help you?
M：Yes, this is Jack Kordell from Hunter’s Office Supplies．May I speak to Elaine Strong, please?
W：I’m sorry, but she’s not in right now．She should be here later on this afternoon maybe about 4∶30．May I take a message?
M：Yes．Ms Strong sent me your newest line of laptop computers with a description of other software products, but there wasn’t any information about after-sales service．
W：Oh, I’m sorry．Would you like me to fax that to you?
M：Yes．Could you try sending that information around 3∶30?That should give me time to look over the material before I call Ms．Strong, say, around 5∶00．
W：Sure．Could I have your name, telephone number, and fax number, please?
M：Yes．Jack Kordell and the phone number is 560-1287．And the fax number is 560-1288．
W：All right．I’ll be sure to send you the fax this afternoon．
M：Okay, bye．
14．Why can’t Elaine Strong answer the phone?
A．She’s attending a meeting．
B．She’s out of the office．
C．She’s talking with another customer．
15．What does the man want the woman to send?
A．Information on after-sales service．
B．A picture of the newest computers．
C．A list of software products．
16．What is the man’s telephone number?
A．560-1287．
B．560-1288．
C．560-2187．
听第10段材料，回答第17～20题。
Mother’s Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, but not always on the same day．
Mother’s Day as it is celebrated today in the United States began with a woman named Anna Jarvis．In 1907, she held a ceremony to honor her mother at a church in the state of West Virginia on the anniversary of her mother’s death．In the following years, she and others wrote thousands of letters to public officials urging that the second Sunday in May be declared Mother’s Day．
President Woodrow Wilson finally agreed seven years later．The second Sunday in May became a day of public expression of love for mothers throughout the country．It became popular for people to send gifts of flowers and candy to their mothers on Mother’s Day．
Today, children of all ages still give their mothers special gifts on Mother’s Day．Older children may travel to visit their mothers．If they cannot, they usually send a special card with a message of love．Or they send flowers．They also usually call their mothers on the telephone to wish them a happy day．Mother’s Day is one of the busiest days of the year for America’s telephone companies．
Some families get together on Mother’s Day to honor all the women in the family who are mothers．Many go to a restaurant for a special Mother’s Day meal．
17．What do you learn about Mother’s Day?
A．It is celebrated now in every part of the world．
B．It is not celebrated on the 2nd Sunday in May everywhere．
C．It is celebrated to honor all the women in some families．
18．When was Mother’s Day first celebrated in the US?
A．In 1907．
B．In 1908．
C．In 1914．
19．Who decided Mother’s Day to be celebrated nationwide?
A．Anna Jarvis．
B．Public officials．
C．Woodrow Wilson．
20．What do all the children do on Mother’s Day?
A．Give gifts to their mothers．
B．Pay a visit to their mothers．
C．Send cards to their mothers．