(B )
When
my family moved to America
from a small village in Guangdong, China, we
brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture.
One of the rules is that young people should always respect (尊敬) elders. Unluckily, this rule
led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.
I
had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was
serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be
served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly
because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed
great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside
and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive(敏感) Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to
the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem
was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.
In my village in China, people are proud of being
old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such
an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect
older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.
However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire or that the
body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from
growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to
look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the
elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to
stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.
After that, I changed the way I had been with
older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now
I don’t
show my feelings through words.
By
Jack
Choose the best answer (根据短文内容,选择最恰当的答案,用A、B、C或D表示):
74. Jack brought the couple their food very fast
because______.
A) the manager asked him to do so B) he respected the elderly
C) the couple wanted him to do so D) he wanted more pay
75. When Jack called the couple “elderly”, they became ______.
A) nervous B)
satisfied C) unhappy D) excited
76. In Jack’s hometown, ______.
A) people dislike being called “old”
B) people are proud of being old
C) many people reach the age of seventy or eighty
D) the elderly are the first to get food in
restaurants
77. After this experience, Jack ______.
A) lost his job in the restaurant B) made friends
with the couple
C) no longer respected the elderly
D) changed his way with older people
78. Which of the following is TRUE?
A) The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple
got.
B) Jack wanted to show his feelings through words
after his experience.
C) The manager went back to the table and apologized
to the couple.
D) From this experience, Jack learned more about
American culture.
79. Which is the best title for this passage?
A) Different countries, different customs
B) Old people, old customs
C) Different restaurants, different services
D) Differences between old and young