I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles”(风格) of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused(困惑) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks(地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A new Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one.        A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
【小题1】When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually ______.

A.describe the place carefullyB.show him a map of the place
C.tell him the names of the streetsD.refer to recognizable buildings and places
【小题2】What is the place where people measure distance in time?
A.New York.B.Los Angeles.C.Kansas.D.Iowa.
【小题3】People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ______.
A.in order to save timeB.Los Angeles.
C.so as to be politeD.for fun
【小题4】What can we infer from the text?
A.It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences.
B.It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.
C.People have similar understandings of politeness.
D.New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.

Last July, my 12-year-old car died on California's Santa Na Freeway. It was an hour before sunset, and I was 25 miles form home. I couldn't reach anyone to pick me up, so I decided to take a bus. Not knowing the routes, I figured I'd just head east.
A bus pulled up, and I asked the driver how far she was going. "Four more lights," she said. There was another bus I could take form there. This clearly was going to be a long night.
She dropped me off at the end of her route and told me which bus to look for. After waiting 30 minutes, I began to think about a very expensive taxi ride home. Then a bus pulled up. There was no lighted number above its wind-shield. It was out of service. But the door opened, and I was surprised to find that it was the same driver.
"I just can't leave you here, "she said. "This isn't the nicest place. I'll give you a ride home."
“You’ll drive me home in the bus?” I asked, perplexed(迷惑的).
“No, I’ll take you in my car,” she said.
“It’s a long way,” I protested(抗议).
“Come on,”she said. “I have nothing else to do.”
As we drove from the station in her car, she began telling me a story. A few days earlier, her brother had run out of gas. A good Samaritan picked him up, took him to a service station and then back to his car. “I’m just passing the favor along.”she said.
When I offered her money as a thank-you, she wouldn’t hear of it. “That would not make it a  favor,” she said. “Just do something nice for somebody. Pass it along.”
【小题1】The writer thought that he would have a long night because

A.it world be long before he could take another bus
B.no driver would give him a ride
C.he didn’t know the routes
D.he perhaps would have to take a taxi
【小题2】Judging from its context, the place where the writer waited for the second bus was     .
A.very quiet and peacefulB.dark without street lights
C.neither clean nor beautifulD.a little unsafe
【小题3】The writer wanted to take a taxi home at the end of the route because         .
A.no bus would come
B.a taxi ride would be more comfortable
C.he became impatient and a bit worried
D.he knew the driver would never return
【小题4】The bus driver drove the writer home later because       .
A.she happened to go in the same direction
B.she wanted to do something good for other people
C.her brother told her to do so
D.she wanted to earn more money
【小题5】The bus driver hoped that the writer         .
A.world do as she didB.would keep her in memory
C.would give the money to othersD.would do her a favor

Like lots of small-business owners, Lola Gonzalez had to decide to cut down her company’s nine-person staff (员工) when the economic recovery began to fail last spring. Unlike other companies, she picked an unlikely employee to lay off (解雇): herself.

         Her business began to have problems in 2008 after going through her books (账簿)

    One day, her husband, Marcos, told her she had to reduce her payroll(薪金总额)by one person. Gonzalez said at a meeting, “I want you all to know that I have to lay somebody off and it’s been a very difficult decision. And that person is me.” Employees first froze in amazement and then burst into laughter until they realized she was serious. Gonzalez ’s employees said they were grateful for her kindness.

         Her reason was simple. Although she ran the business and her employees did the legwork (跑腿), she thought she could find work more easily than her staff. Sure enough, she soon got a job as a social worker for a non-profit organization called Devereux Kids. She enjoys her social-worker job now, but the salary (薪水) cut has required some lifestyle changes. She and Marcos no longer eat out daily; they no longer pay for their son’s car and mobile phone, and they changed their car to a smaller one to save $300 a month.

         Her business has picked up a bit recently and Marcos has begun to work part-time at Gonzalez’s company. Gonzalez says she has no plan to return to work at her company until the economic situation becomes better, perhaps in a year. Her employees, however, will get Christmas bonuses (奖金) this year.

1.How many workers are there in Gonzalez’s company at present?

A. 8.                                      B. 9.                                      C. 10.                                    D. 11.

2.How did her employees feel at first when they heard Gonzalez’s decision?

A. Happy.          B. Grateful.                           C. Surprised.   D. Unbelievable.

3.After leaving her company, _____________.

A. Gonzalez sold her car and went to work by bus

B. Gonzalez always had meals in a restaurant

C. Gonzalez’s son helped her a lot

D. Gonzalez changed her lifestyle a lot

4.From the text, we can learn that ___________.

A. Gonzalez will not return to her company in future

B. Gonzalez’s business has improved a little lately

C. Gonzalez got her social-worker job with great difficulty

D. Marcos lost his job and had to work at Gonzalez’s company

 

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