Jan was a window cleaner. One morning, Jan was in a lift of a high building with his window cleaning tools when the building was on fire.

There were five other passengers in the lift. All of a sudden the lift stopped. Although they didn’t know what had happened outside, they had only 100 minutes to get out of the building before it would fall into the dust.

Soon smoke began coming into the lift. The men knew that something was wrong. They tried to open the door but found a wall in front of them. The wall had the number 15 on it and they knew they were on the 15th floor. But their lift usually didn’t stop there, so there was no opening for them to escape. Jan decided they would have to make their own.

Knowing that the wall was made of a material that could be cut through, Jan took out his window cleaning tools, and began knocking a hole through the wall. When he felt tired, others helped.

Starting with one small hole, they cut through the three-inch-thick wall. Then they kicked hard at the wall. The wall cracked apart. They saw before them a tile (瓷砖) wall! Refusing to give up, they knocked a hole through the tile, then made the opening big enough to get through. Surprisingly, the fire-fighters were outside the hole, they took Jan and his partners to the nearest stairs and they ran down the stairs as quickly as possible. By 10:23, Jan and the others ran out of the building. Five minutes later, the building burned down.

1.What was Jan doing when the building was on fire?

A. He was cleaning the windows.

B. He was up to visit his friend.

C. He was on his way to his workplace.

D. He was cleaning the lift.

2.According to the passage, how many people were in the lift?

A. 5. B. 6. C. 15. D. We don’t know.

3.How much time did they use up before getting out of the building?

A. 5 minutes. B. 50 minutes

C. 95 minutes. D. 100 minutes.

4.What did they do when they saw a tile wall?

A. They were disappointed and gave up.

B. They had to wait for the fire-fighters.

C. They don’t know what to do.

D. They went on knocking through the wall.

5.From this passage, which do you think is the most important way while in danger?

A. Trying your best.

B. Running downstairs

C. Crying for help.

D. Doing nothing.

We are always using body language in our daily life. When we have a conversation with someone, we may be using more body language than words. However, the same body language may mean different things in different countries. That’s why people sometimes do not understand each other correctly. Pointing to one part of the body can mean differently in different cultures. For example, in the USA people point to their heads when they think someone is clever. However, in Europe it means ‘He or she is stupid or something is wrong with his or her head’. In our Chinese culture, nodding our head up and down means ‘yes’ and shaking our head from side to side means ‘no’. However, in parts of India, Greece and Turkey, it means just the opposite. In England or the USA, when you raise your hand and make a circle with the thumb and the second finger, it means ‘You’re all right or Everything is OK’. However, if we do this in France or Belgium, it means ‘You’re worth zero’. In Greece or Turkey, we should not make this gesture(手势). Or we are thought to be very rude.

The meaning of gestures can also change over time. In the 1960s, the V sign meant ‘peace’. However, during World War II, it meant ‘victory’. In Greece, it is a very insulting(污辱性)sign.

Though the meaning of body language is different, there are some expressions having the same meaning throughout the world, such as smiling and crying.

1.In England, if people point to their heads it means they think someone is _________.

A. clever B. stupid C. headache D. angry

2.In India, if one nods his head up and down, it means he ______.

A. doesn't agree B. agree C. is happy D. is sad

3.In France, if you raise your hand and make a circle with the thumb and the second finger, it means ________.

A. you are clever

B. everything is OK

C. it is true

D. you are worth nothing

4.Which country's body language is most different from our usual thinking?

A. France B. England C. Greece D. India

5.V sign meant _______________ about forty years ago.

A. victory B. killing C. festival D. peace

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网