In the United States, it is not usual to telephone someone early in the morning. If you telephone early in the day, while he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the call shows that the matter is very important and requires immediate attention. So it is with the telephone calls made after 11:00 pm. If someone receives a call during sleeping hours, he may think that it’s a matter of life and death. The time chosen for the call communicates its importance.
In social life, time plays a very important part. In the USA guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation to a dinner party reaches them only three or four days before the party date. But it is not true in all countries. In other areas of the world, it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far in advance because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotten. The meaning of time is not the same in different cultures that treat time differently; being on time is valued highly in American life, for example. If people are not on time, they may be regarded as impolite or not fully responsible. In the USA no one would think of keeping a business friend for an hour; it would be too impolite. A person who is 5 minutes late is expected to make a shout apology. It he is less than 5 minutes late, he will say a few words of explanation, though perhaps he will not complete the sentence.
1．A call at midnight would mean_________.
A. the matter is less important B. the matter is too difficult to handle
C. the matter requires immediate attention D. it is a matter of life and death
2．According to the passage, time plays a very important part in_______.
A. everyday life B. private life
C. getting along with others D. business
3．In the passage, the author suggests that invitation cards should be sent________.
A. three or four days before the party date in all cultures
B. three or four days before the party date in some cultures
C. three or four days before the party date in the USA
D. at your chosen time
You are a new manager at the American branch of your German firm in Chicago．With a few minutes to spare between meetings，you go to get a quick cup of coffee．
“Hey，David，how are you?”one of the senior partners at the firm asks you．
“Good，thank you，Dr．Greer，”you reply．You’ve really been wanting to make a connection with the senior leadership at the firm，and this seems like a great opportunity．But as you start to think of something to say，your American colleague breaks in to steal your spotlight．
“So Arnold”，your colleague says to your boss，in such a casual manner that it makes your German soul cringe(畏缩)，“So what’s your Super bowl prediction? I mean，you’re a Niners fan，right?”
The conversation moves on，and you walk silently back to your desk with your coffee．You know how important small talk is in the U．S．，and you feel jealous of people you’re your colleague who can do it well．
There’s nothing small about the role that small talk plays in American professional culture．People from other countries are often surprised at how important small talk is in the U．S．and how naturally and comfortably people seem to do it—with peers，men，women，and even with superiors．You can be the most technically skilled worker in the world，but your ability to progress in your job in the United States is highly dependent on your ability to build and maintain positive relationships with people at work．And guess what skill is critical for building and maintaining these relationships? Small talk．
What can you do if you are from another culture and want to learn to use small talk in the U．S．to build relationships and establish trust? Work hard to hone(磨练)your own version of American-style small talk．Watch how others do it．You don’t have to mimic what they do；in fact，that would likely backfire because people would see you as inauthentic．But if you can develop your own personal version，that can go a long way toward making you feel comfortable and competence．The author introduces the topic of the passage by______．
| A．raising an interesting question |
| B．describing an interesting scene |
| C．making comparisons |
| D．telling a small jokes |
What do we know about German people?
| A．They usually make small talk in work breaks． |
| B．They hate making small talk． |
| C．They don’t make so much small talk． |
| D．They are good at making small talk too． |
What makes people from other countries surprised in American professional culture?
| A．American workers’ ability to make progress． |
| B．American workers’ attitude towards superiors． |
| C．The special meaning of small talk． |
| D．The role small talk plays in work settings． |
What does“backfire”underlined in the last paragraph mean?
| A．be difficult | B．be helpful |
| C．have a good result | D．have the opposite effect |
Across Britain，burnt toast will be served to mothers in bed this morning as older sons and daughters rush to deliver their supermarket bunches of flowers．But，according to a new study，we should be placing a higher value on motherhood all year．
Mothers have long known that their home workload was just as heavy as paid work．Now，the new study has shown that if they were paid for their parental labours，they would earn as much as￡172，000 a year．
The study looked at the range of jobs mothers do，as well as the hours they are working，to determine the figure．This would make their yearly income￡30，000 more than the Prime Minister earns．
By analysing the numbers，it found the average mother works 119 hours a week，40 of which would usually be paid at a standard rate and 79 hours as overtime．After questioning 1，000 mothers with children under 18，it found that，on most days，mums started their routine work at 7 am and finished at around 11 pm．
To calculate just how much mothers would earn from that labour，it suggested some of the roles that mums could take on，including housekeeper，part-time lawyer，personal trainer and entertainer．Being a part-time lawyer，at￡48．98 an hour，would prove to be the most profitable of the“mum jobs”，with psychologist(心理学家)a close second．
It also asked mothers about the challenges they face，with 80 percent making emotional(情感的)demand as the hardest thing about motherhood．
Over a third of mums felt they needed more training and around half said they missed going out with friends．
The study shows mothers matter all year long and not just on Mother’s Day．The emotional，physical and mental energy mothers devote to their children can be never-ending，but children are also sources of great joy and happiness．Investing(投入)in time for parenting and raising relationships is money well spent．How much does a Prime Minister earn，according to the passage?
| A．￡30，000． | B．￡142，000． |
| C．￡172，000． | D．￡202，000． |
The biggest challenge for most mothers is from_____．
| A．emotional demand | B．1ow pay for work |
| C．heavy workload | D．1ack of training |
What is stressed in the last paragraph?
| A．Mothers’importance shows in family all year long． |
| B．The sacrifices mothers make are huge but worthwhile． |
| C．Mothers’devotion to children can hardly be calculated． |
| D．Investing time in parenting would bring a financial return． |
What can we conclude from the study?
| A．Mothers’working hours should be largely reduced． |
| B．Mothers should balance their time for work and rest． |
| C．Mothers’labour is of a higher value than it is realized． |
| D．Mothers should be freed from housework for social life． |
Are you sometimes a little tired and sleepy in the early afternoon? Many people feel this way after lunch．They may think that eating lunch is the cause of the sleepiness．Or，in summer，they may think it is the heat．However，the real reason lies inside their bodies．At that time—about eight hours after you wake up—your body temperature goes down．This is what makes you slow down and feel sleepy．Scientists have tested sleep habits in experiments where there was no night or day．The people in these experiments almost always followed a similar sleeping pattern．They slept for one long period and then for one short period about eight hours later．
In many parts of the world，people take naps in the middle of the day．This is especially true in warmer climates，where the heat makes work difficult in the early afternoon．Researchers are now saying that naps are good for everyone in any climate．A daily nap gives one a more rested body and mind and therefore is good for health in general．In countries where naps are traditional，people often suffer less from problems such as heart disease． Many working people，unfortunately，have no time to take naps．Though doctors may advise taking naps，employers do not allow it! If you do have the chance，however，here are a few tips about making the most of your nap．Remember that the best time to take a nap is about eight hours after you get up．A short sleep too late in the day may only make you feel more tired and sleepy afterward，This can also happen if you sleep for too long．If you do not have enough time，try a short nap—even ten minutes of sleep can be helpful．Why do you sometimes feel sleepy in the early afternoon?
| A．Because you eat too much for lunch． |
| B．Because it’s hot in summer． |
| C．Because your body temperature goes down at that time． |
| D．Because you didn’t have a good sleep last night． |
What can we learn about“naps”according to the last paragraph?
| A．All the people in warmer climates take naps in the middle of the day． |
| B．Doctors need to take naps while employers don’t． |
| C．If you take naps everyday，you’11 never suffer from heart disease． |
| D．Taking naps regularly is beneficial to people’s health． |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．If you get up at 6：30 am，you’d better take a nap at about 1：30 pm． |
| B．Taking a nap whenever you want will do good to your health． |
| C．You will feel less sleepy if you sleep for a long time． |
| D．You’11 feel sleepy at regular intervals． |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Just for a Rest |
| B．A1l for a Nap |
| C．A Special Sleep Pattern |
| D．Taking Naps in Warmer Climate |
Environment Awareness Week Regal Convention Centre，Halls 1-4 24-30 March 2015 10：00 am-9：00 pm Free admission for all!
Save the environment，Save our future Our environment needs help．With the participation of more than 50 organizations．Environment Awareness Week is the biggest public education event dedicated to environmental protection and conservation．Don’t miss it! Come and know more about：
The Threats to Earth(Hall 1)—What is global warming?
How serious is pollution? Learn about different environmental problems from our university students．Protect our environment!
The Search for Renewable Energy(Hall 2)—Can we get electricity from wind，solar energy，waves，rivers and underground heat? Get the answers from Solar Ace，Teflon，Touch Wind Resources and other participants．
The Quest for Freshwater(Hall 3)—Is the shortage of freshwater worsening? What are Singapore’s solutions for treating wastewater? Hear from Flow Technologies，HydroMax Solutians and other participants．
The 3 Rs to Save Earth(Hall 4)—How can we REDUCE，REUSE and RECYCLE to cut down household wastes? Find out from the Global Gaia Network，Green Earth Foundation and other participants．The organizer of the event is______________________．
| A．Global Gaia Network | B．Clean Energy Agency |
| C．Green Earth Foundation | D．International Environment Fund |
What’s the purpose of“Environment Awareness Week”?
| A．To educate people about environment protection． |
| B．To advertise for environmental friendly products． |
| C．To make money by attracting visitors． |
| D．To support environment protection． |
The“3 RS”stand for_____________．
| A．Read，Realize and Remember |
| B．Reduce，Reuse and Recycle |
| C．Green Earth Foundation |
| D．Global Gaia Network |
What you have just read is a _______.
| A．note | B．report | C．poster | D．schedule |
What is going to take place on 2 February, 2013?
| A．A party for close friends to meet and have fun. |
| B．A party to celebrate a traditional festival. |
| C．A big event to welcome a Chinese new year. |
| D．A social gathering to raise money for wildlife. |
How much do you have to pay in total if four of you go together?
| A．$ 20. | B．$ 40 | C．$ 80 | D．$ 60 |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．It's unnecessary to take soft drinks with you. |
| B．Tickets are sold in Kwun Tong High School. |
| C．Free digital cameras are provided for everybody. |
| D．Festival food will be served without extra charge. |
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