The way we do things round here

Some years ago, I was hired by an American bank. I received a letter from the head of the Personnel Department that started, "Dear John, I am quite pleased that you have decided to join us." That "quite" saddened me. I thought he was saying "we're kind of pleased you decided to join us although I wish we had hired someone else." Then I discovered that in American English "quite" sometimes means "very", while in British English it means "fairly".

So the first lesson about working in other countries is to learn the language and by that I don't just mean the words people speak. It is body language, dress, manners, ideas and so on. The way people do things highlights many of the differences we see between cultures(文化).

Some of these differences may be only on the surface-dress, food and hours of work-while others may be deeper and take longer to deal with. Mostly, it is just a question of getting used to the differences and accepting them, like the climate(气候),while getting on with business.

Some of the differences may be an improvement. People are more polite; the service is better; you ask for something to be done and it happens without having to ask again. However, other differences can be troubling, like punctuality(准时).If you invite people to a party at 7 o'clock your guests will consider it polite to turn up exactly on time in Germany, five minutes early in the

American Midwest, an hour early in Japan, 15 minutes afterwards in the UK, up to an hour afterwards in Italy and some time in the evening in Greece. I prefer not to use the word "late" because there is nothing wrong with the times people arrive. It is simply the accepted thing to do in their own country.

1.The author was unhappy as mentioned in paragraph 1 because he thought_____.

A. the American bank didn’t think much of him

B. the American bank might hire another person

C. it’s difficult to get used to American  culture.

D. it’s easy to misunderstanding Americans

2.The word “highlights”in paragraph 2 probably means_____

A. encourage B. helps to marrow

C. increase D. draws attention to

3. According to the author, what should we do with most cultural differences?

A. Ask the native people for help.    B. Understand and accept them.

C. Do things in our own way.       D. Do in-depth research.

4.. When invited to a party the people who are usually punctual are______.

A. Italians      B. Germans      C. Greeks       D. the British

 

If there is one thing that matters in high school-and for your whole life-it is friendships.

My latest novel,THE UNWRITTEN RULE,is about a girl,Sarah,who falls for her best friend Brianna’s boyfriend,Ryan,but it’s more about wrestling with feelings for a guy that you know you shouldn’t have.A lot of the book deals with friendship,the kind of lifelong friendship that means the world to you...and what happens when you realize that maybe it isn’t what you think it is.

Maybe your best friend isn’t your best friend.Maybe she isn’t even a friend at all.

Friendships are tricky things.You can he sure everything is fine,and that your friendship is going to last forever...and it can just end.No explanation,no anything.And it is not easy.In fact,I think losing a friend is worse than losing a boyfriend,especially when it is a friend you’ve had in your life for a long time.

One of the things that Sarah struggles with in THE UNWRITTEN RULE,beyond her feelings for Ryan,is her friendship with Brianna—how long they’ve been friends,how she understands Brianna in a way no one else does,and what to do when a crack appears in their friend ship,not because of Sarah’s feelings for Ryan,but because Sarah begins to wonder if maybe Brianna isn’t her best friend after all.

Having a friendship end is incredibly painful and one of the things I hated when I was younger—and that I still hate now—is how people say.“Oh,it’ll be okay.You’ll move on,you’ll be fine.”

It is true that you will eventually move on and that you will be fine.But you will also always carry that lost friendship with you.It may not take up all of your heart like it does at first,but it will take part of it.

And that,I think,is something no one ever talks about and that I wish we could — and would.

What do you do when someone you are friends with decides your friendship is over? How do you deal with it?

Maybe my latest novel can provide something for you.

47.From the passage we can infer that_____.

A.it may takes Sarah a long time to recover after she lost Brianna’s friendship

B.Sarah and Brianna are still best friends after a long period of time

C.Sarah does not value Brianna’s friendship at all

D.Ryan would feel puzzled about his real love

48.What do you think the book THE UNWRITTEN RULE is mainly about?

A.Friendship.    B.School life.   C.Love.  D.Wrestling with feelings.

49.What’s the writer’s attitude towards friendship?

A.We will all lose some friends in our life.

B.Ending a friendship is worse than losing a boyfriend.

C.It’s usual when a crack appears.

D.You will eventually move on after you lose a friendship.

50.What do you think is the best title for the passage above?

A.My Latest Novel.    B.Tricky Friends.   

C.Sarah and Brianna.    D.Unforgettable Friendship

 

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