With the growth of the European Union and increased globalisation, English is increasingly the lingua franc a（通用语） in European businesses, and those who speak it have become the elite （精英）of the workforce．
In the past, only a few specialists in a company were needed to communicate with foreign businesses．However, in these days of multinational companies, where workers are required to communicate with other employees from several countries, a common language is essential and English has become the logical choice．
Nowadays, even blue-collar workers in many companies are required to speak English．For example, just over three years ago, a Dutch company．United Pan-European Communications （UPC）, was contracted to build a TV studio in Amsterdam．The job involved many electricians—more than the company could find in the Netherlands．There were plenty of qualified electricians in nearby France and Belgium, but the American and Dutch executives of UPC wanted everyone on the job to speak and understand the same language．So, the UPC hired British electricians and flew them to Amsterdam every Monday, accommodating them in hotels all over the city, and flying them home on Friday evenings．
Increasingly, workers who can speak English earn salaries 25-35% higher than those who can' t．They are also eligible （有条件被选中的） for a wider range of high-level jobs．
The problem is that, while the ability to speak English is fast becoming essential for getting a good job, there is a shortage of people who can speak it．According to a recent European Commission report, only about 41% of continental Europeans can speak English, and only 29% speak it well enough to carry on a conversation．Many companies are solving this problem by setting up English language schools within the workplace．English language schools all over Europe are expanding at a huge rate, and governments are looking at ways to improve English tuition in schools．
One result of this modem urge to learn English is that a generation gap is appearing． According to a European Union study, 67% of Europeans between 15 and 24 say they can speak English while only 18% of those over 55 say they can．Increasingly, all over Europe, it is the children who are leading the parents．In European companies, workers who speak English ________．
| A．find it easy to carry on a conversation | B．have an advantage over other workers |
| C．must be white-collar workers | D．travel to many different countries |
Why did the UPC hire the British electricians?
| A．There were not enough electricians in nearby France and Belgium． |
| B．British electricians were more qualified than those in the Netherlands． |
| C．The UPC wanted all the employees to speak English． |
| D．The UPC meant to show they were rich enough to accommodate and fly them． |
What can you learn from the passage about European people?
| A．More young people can speak English well than older people. |
| B．67% Europeans can speak English very well． |
| C．18% of the people over 55 can't speak English． |
| D．Over half the people can speak English． |
One summer my friend and I decided to go to Italy for a holiday and we decided to travel there without going through a travel agency. You know, you would be submerged (淹没) in crowds of tourists and lose lots of opportunities to get familiar with the country more closely. We started to think over our trip and managed to come up with a f
ree tour of Italy.
The trip was not very long but it was still very impressive. We look forward to going there again! Of course, we spent lots of time arranging the trip, but it was well worth it! Of course I was afraid that something would go wrong and I was especially anxious about my visa, but everything went quite smoothly in the end.
The most difficult part was getting a visa without an invitation. In the Italian consulate(领事馆), one must hand in some official paper proving that one has a hotel booked for oneself in order to get the visa. Then we had to solve the ticket problem. Airlines often sell cheap tickets a
nd we bought ours far in advance. The next step was to book a hotel. We finally booked a hotel about thirty km away from the heart of Rome and it was the perfect choice for our trip.
Every day we took a train that carried us to the heart of Rome. Our big house, which was surrounded by the forest, was a rare girl for the fresh air and absolute silence, beautiful views, hospitable (好客的) hosts, comfortable living conditions delighted us to no end. Besides this, we were very lucky that our mistress was Russian. She gave us a lot of advice that was of great use. She told us what transport to choose and where the best places to go.
Don’t
be afraid to arrange your trip by yourself. It’s not difficult! The only thing I'll say right now is that we really enjoyed traveling by ourselves. We walked with a map and a guide-book to wherever we wanted and we even met some of our fellow countrymen on the way just two or three times. So, if you're also planning a "single" trip, don't forget to take a Russian-Italian phrasebook as people in Italy prefer to speak in their native tongue.Why does the author want to go to Italy again?
| A．He had a great time there. |
| B．Italy has a lot of attractions. |
| C．His friend invited him there. |
| D．He didn't stay in Italy long enough. |
What does the author think was the hardest in preparing for his Italian trip?
| A．Buying cheap airline tickets to Italy before the traveling |
| B．Getting a visa without an invitation from the Italian consulate. |
| C．Booking a comfortable hotel on his own in Rome. |
| D．Solving the ticket problem far in advance. |
In the fourth paragraph the author mainly explains
| A．the reason why he chose to live in the center of Rome |
| B．the reason why the hotel he booked was the right choice |
| C．what transport they chose to travel in their Italian trip |
| D．the reason why the mistress gave them some advice |
Which of the following questions has NOT been answered in the passage?
| A．Why did the author decide to go to Italy for a holiday for the first time? |
| B．Why did the author decide not to follow a travel agency? |
| C．How did the author prepare for his trip? |
| D．What tools did the author use for his traveling? |
From the text we can know the author
A. enjoy
s traveling everywhere in the world
B. likes being accompanied by tour guides
C. advises us to arrange trips by ourselves
Douglas Grace talks about his ideal city of the future.
I see the city of the future in three zones——inner， middle and outer. In the inner zone there will be no private cars. Public transport will be free and there will only be ambulances， fire engines， taxis and police cars. This inner zone will be the residential（住宅的） and recreational（娱乐的） area of the city. People will live there and go out to enjoy themselves——to cinemas and restaurants. There will be parks and open spaces， trees and lakes， schools and universities. This way， when people are at home， they can go out easily and safely.
Just outside the inner zone there will be big car parks for all private cars.
The banks and most of the shops and hospitals will be in the middle zone. These are things that people don’t need every day.
All the factories and offices will be in the outer zone. People will travel
out of the center to work， and back to the center in the evenings. The inner zone will be cleaner and better to live in and there will be more space for industry on the outside.
This is my ideal city of the future—— a very beautiful place！But I don’t really think things will ever be like that！Where will people live and go out to enjoy themselves？
| A．In the middle zone. |
| B．In the inner zone. |
| C．In the outer zone. |
| D．In the inner and middle zone. |
Where will big car parks be？
| A．Just outside the middle zone. |
| B．Just inside the middle zone. |
| C．Just outside the inner zone. |
| D．Just inside the inner zone. |
What will be in the middle zone？
| A．The banks，hospitals and schools. |
| B．The banks，hospitals and police stations. |
| C．The banks，schools and car parks. |
| D．The banks，hospital and most of the shops. |
Where will the factories and offices be？
| A．In the outer zone. |
| B．In the middle zone. |
| C．In the inner zone. |
| D．In the middle and inner zone. |
Douglas Grace is probably .
| A．a painter |
| B．a builder |
| C．a town planner |
| D．a dentist |
Some British and American people like to invite friends for a meal at home. You should not be upset (不安的) if your English friends don't invite you home. It doesn't mean they don't like you!Dinner parties usually start between 7p．m．and 8p．m．, and end at about 11p．m． Ask your host (主人) what time you should arrive． It's polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine as a gift．
Usually the evening starts with drinks and snacks (小吃)． Do you want to be extra
(特别地) polite? Say how much you like the room,
or the pictures on the wall. But remember — it's not polite to ask how much things cost．
In many families, the husband sits at one end of the table and the wife sits at the other side． They eat with t
heir guests．
You'll probably start the meal with soup or something small, then you'll have meat or fish with vegetables, and then dessert (甜点心) followed by coffee． It's polite to finish e
verything on your plate and to take more if you want it．
Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, or write them a short “Thank you” letter． British and American people like to say “thank you” all the time!An English friend doesn't invite you to his or her dinner, which ＿＿＿＿．
| A．means he or she doesn't like you | B．means he or she likes you |
| C．doesn't mean he or she likes you | D．doesn't mean  he or she doesn't like you |
You are going to attend a dinner party and ＿＿＿＿．
| A．you'd better bring a certain present with you |
| B．you must leave home for it at 7 p．m． |
| C．you should ask your host when you should leave |
| D．you must arrive before 8 p．m． |
It's impolite ＿＿＿＿＿．
| A．to say that you like the host's room very much |
| B．for a guest to ask the host the price of the things in the room |
C．for a guest to have drinks and sn acks before the evening |
| D．for the host and the hostess (女主人) to sit and eat with their guests |
In which order will you eat or drink the following things at a meal？
| A．Snacks, vegetables, meat, coffee． |
| B．Coffee, drinks, soup, fish, vegetables, dessert． |
| C．Soup, meat with vegetables, dessert and coffee． |
| D．Drinks, soup, something small, fish and vegetables． |
What is the proper way to express your enjoyment of the evening？
| A．Before leaving for home, you should say, “Thank you for inviting me．” |
| B．When you shake hands with your host, you should say, “I did enjoy the evening．” |
| C．You can write a “Thank you” letter to your host after that． |
| D．You should finish everything on your plate and take more if you want it． |
Not many years ago， a wealthy and rather strange old man named Johnson lived alone in a village in the south of England. He had made a lot of money in trading with foreign countries. When he was seventy-five， he gave ￡ 12，000 to the village school to buy land and equipment for a children’s playground.
As a result of his kindness， many people came to visit him. Among them was a newspaperman. During their talk， Johnson remarked that he was seventy-five and expected to live to be a hundred. The newspaperman asked him
how he managed to be healthy at seventy—five. 
Johnson had a sense of humor. He liked whisky and drank some each day. “I have an injection （注射） in my neck each evening.” he told the newspaperman， thinking of his evening glass of whisky.
The newspaperman did not understand what Johnson meant. In his newspaper he reported that Johnson was seventy-five and had a daily injection in his neck. Within a week Johnson received thousands of letters from all over Britain， asking him for the secret of his daily injection.Johnson became a rich man through _________.
| A．doing business. |
| B．making whisky. |
| C．cheating. |
| D．buying and selling land. |
The gift of money to the school suggests that Johnson __________.
| A．had no children. |
| B．was a strange man. |
| C．was very fond of children. |
| D．wanted people to know how rich he was. |
Many people wrote to Johnson to find out __________.
| A．what kind of whisky he had. |
| B．how to live longer. |
| C．how to become wealthy. |
| D．in which part of the neck to have an injection. |
The newspaperman ____________.
| A．should have reported what Johnson had told him. |
| B．shouldn’t have asked Johnson what injection he had. |
| C．was eager to live a long life. |
| D．should have found out what Johnson really meant. |
When Johnson said he had an injection in his neck each evening， he really meant that ______.
| A．he liked drinking a glass of whisky in the evening. |
| B．he needed an injection in the neck. |
| C．a daily injection in the evening would make him sleep well. |
| D．there was something wrong with his neck. |
Culture is one of the most challenging elements of the international marketplace. This system of learned behavior patterns characteristic of the members of a given society is constantly shaped by a set of dynamic variables(变量): language, religion, values and attitudes, manners and customs, aesthetics, technology, education, and social institutions. To deal with this system, an international manager needs both factual and interpretive knowledge of culture. To some extent, the factual knowledge can be learned; its interpretation comes only through experience.
The most complicated problems in dealing with the cultural environment lie in the fact that one cannot learn culture—one has to live it. Two schools of thought exist in the business world on how to deal with cultural differences. One is that business is business the world around, following the model of Pepsi and McDonald’s. In some cases, globalization is a fact of life; however, cultural differences are still far from disappearing.
The other school suggests that companies must adjust business approaches to individual cultures. Setting up policies and procedures in each country has been compared to an organ transplant; the critical question centers around acceptance or rejection. The major challenge to the international manager is to make sure that rejection is not a result of cultural myopia(近视) or even blindness.
Fortune examined the international performance of a dozen large companies that earn 20 percent or more of their revenue overseas. The internationally successful companies all share an important quality: patience. They have not rushed into situations but rather built their operations carefully by following the most basic business principles. These principles are to know your rivals, know your audience, and know your customer. According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．Business diversity is not necessary. |
| B．All international managers can learn culture. |
| C．Most people do not know foreign culture well. |
| D．Views differ on how to treat culture in business world. |
According to the author, the model of Pepsi .
| A．is different from the model of McDonald’s . |
| B．reflect the idea that business is business. |
| C．has converged cultural differences . |
| D．shows the reverse of globalization . |
The two schools of thought .
| A．both think dealing with cultural environment is the most complicated problem in business |
| B．both admit the existence of cultural diversity in business world. |
| C．both advocate that different policies be set up in different countries. |
| D．both propose that companies should tailor business approaches to individual cultures. |
This article is supposed to be most useful for those .
| A．who have connections to more than one type of culture |
| B．who are interested in researching the topic of cultural diversity |
| C．who want to run business in other countries |
| D．who want to travel abroad |
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