Scholars and researchers have tried to discov
er what personality characteristics go along with success in intercultural experiences. Their findings have often been unclear or incomplete. But three characteristics stand out in their reports: patience, a sense of humor, and the awareness of being unclear.
Patience, of course, is the ability to keep calm even when things do not go as one wants them to, or hopes they will, or has even been sure they will. Impatience sometimes brings improvements in relations with other people, but usually it does not.
A person with a sense of humor is less likely to take things too seriously and more ready to see the humor in his own reactions than a humorless person. The value of a sense of humor really needs to be paid more attention to.
The awareness of being unclear is a more difficult concept than patience or a sense of
humor. Foreigners often find themselves in situations that are unclear to the newcomers. That is, they do not know what is happening in the situation. Perhaps they do not understand the local language well enough, or they do not know how some system or organization works, or they can’t be sure of different people’s roles in what is going on. “It’s like I just got here from the moon,” a Chinese graduate student who newly arrived in the United States said, “things are just so different here.”The passage mainly tells us .
| A．that it’s not easy to travel abroad |
| B．that humor is very important in communication |
| C．of some characteristics in dealing with foreigners |
D．of three main ways u seful for communicating with foreigners |
According to the passage, what characteristic should be most focused on?
| A．Patience. | B．The awareness of being unclear. |
| C．The sense of humor. | D．Understanding each other. |
“The awareness of being unclear” refers to .
| A．knowing the meaning of an exact situation |
| B．not stating clearly what happens |
| C．realizing the possible misunderstanding in a situation |
| D．being aware of the unclear situation |
According to the writer, the Chinese students is .
| A．a hard-working student | B．recently back from the moon |
| C．interested in the study of moon | D．not used to the culture in America |
Which of the following can best sum up the passage?
| A．It is necessary to learn the language before you go to the country. |
| B．Americans are used to the culture of other countries. |
| C．One needs many characteristics to live in a foreign country. |
| D．To live in a foreign land one should get fully prepared.[ |
Most summer camps for teens center around sports, or music and arts, or just for having fun． But some girls in the Washington suburb of Arlington County, Virginia, went to camp to get a taste of what its like to be a firefighter．
This is not a typical summer camp． But Michelle Pawlaw is glad she signed up for it．"Getting to experience the fires hands-on is really cool and something that most people don't get to do," she said．
Michelle and eight other teenage girls are participating in the three-day camp offered by the Arlington County Fire Department located just outside of Washington．
“The purpose is to try to get young women interested in considering the fire service as a career” said firefighter Clare Burley, who is in charge of the program．
The free of charge, overnight camp is designed to let the girls experience what firefighters do in the line of duty to protect the community．
They take classes and learn how to climb the ladder on a fire truck, operate emergency tools and rescue on injured person． They also do their share of cleaning the firehouse and the equipment Firefighting is still a male-dominated （男性主导） service． Clare joined the department seven years ago, saying "We do everything that the guys do to the same standarD．We are tested to the same standarD．We are expected to operate at the same standard．"
Most of the girls say they had never thought about becoming a firefighter, but the camp was a great learning experience．
"I think it is definitely not a job that only men can do. Women can do it just as well as men can," said Michelle Pawlaw．
'I think I can help other people if they need help and know what to do in case I am at a fire myself," said Kayla Ehrlich．
"I think it's fantastic; I could consider taking it as a career some day．" said Monica Bartorsh．
And, the girls say, by spending three days together, they also made new friends and had a lot of fun．____might become a firefighter in the future．
| A．Monica | B．Kayla |
| C．Michelle | D．Clare |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．The camp offers classes on curing the injured |
| B．Teenage girls will become volunteer firefighters |
| C．Women can perform as well as men in firefighting |
| D．Firefighting will soon be a female-dominated service |
What do we know about Clare Burley from the passage?
| A．She has served the department for 7 years |
| B．She doesn't like her career as a firefighter |
| C．She is the designer of the camp program |
| D．She does better in firefighting than men |
The purpose of the text is____．
| A．to attract more campers |
| B．to introduce a new type of camp |
| C．to praise women firefighters |
| D．to gain support from government |
One spring, when I was 10, during one of my father's layoffs, I could tell my mother was dispiriteD．I decided to cheer her up by buying her a special Mother's Day gift．
One day after school I rode my bike to the Agins, which, I learned years later, was known for its high-end fashions and style．I introduced myself to Sylvia Agins, telling her I was looking for a Mather's Day present．
"Do you think she'd like a purse?" she askeD．I told her．I thought she might．
She took out an Italian handbag made of leather． She asked me what I thought, and I told her that my mom would like it．
"How much money do you have?" she asked．
"Twelve bucks," I said．
“You’re in luck,” she told me． "It's only $11． You have a dollar left over for the card．" She gift-wrapped the purse and thanked me for my business, and I rode off home with the package under my arm.
When my mother opened the gift the next Sunday morning, she asked in an accusing tone, “Where did you get this?"
"I bought it at the Agins． It cost me $11．" I said．
My mother was shocked into silence．
It wasn't until many years later, when I learned that the purse was worth several hundred dollars, that I appreciated just how wonderful Sylvia Agins had been to me． I always felt bad that I never had a chance to properly thank her．
"You know, my son, what really amazes me to this day," my mother saiD．"Letting you have the purse for just a few dollars was unbelievable enough． But the fact that she let you leave the store with a dollar for the card was a touch of kindness that I'll never forget． "The author bought his mother a purse to _____．
| A．surprise his mother |
| B．make his mother happy |
| C．show his ability of making money |
| D．thank his mother for buying him a bike |
Why was the author's mother shocked?
| A．She wasn't expecting a gift from her son． |
| B．The purse was bought from the Agins． |
| C．The author bought a card to go with the purse． |
| D．The Agins charged so little money for the purse． |
Sylvia Agins behavior shows that_____．
| A．she is good at making money | B．she is kind and thoughtful |
| C．she knows how to choose presents | D．she is critical and mean |
Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A．An Unforgettable Event． | B．A Considerate Mother． |
| C．A Priceless Mother's Day Gift． | D．A Kind-hearted Shop Owner． |
A victim of climate change
A polar bear's dead body found on the Arctic island of Svalbard, the northernmost part of Norway, has shocked experts who say climate change may be to blame for the animal’s death.The starved polar bear in Norway was said to be in good health in April when the Norwegian Polar Institute examined and labeled it． However, the animal was reduced to skin and bones by the time a group of explorers came across its body in July．
The bear is thought to have been heading north in a desperate search for sea ice that would allow it to hunt for seals.
"From his lying position in death the bear appears to simply have starved and died where he dropped," polar bear expert Dr. Ian Stirling, a professor at the University of Alberta said, "He had external suggestion of any remaining fat, having been reduced to little more than skin and bone．"
Stirling believes the bear starved to death as a result of a lack of sea ice which the animals use as a platform for hunting seals． That may also explain why the 16-year-old male bear was found about 155 miles north of where it was seen in April．
Arctic sea ice reached a record low in 2012, according to a report released this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that pointed to continued signs of climate change．
The International Union for Conservation of Nature currently classifies polar bears as vulnerable on its Red List of Threatened Species．How did Stirling know the reason for the death of the polar bear?
| A．By the food he ate |
| B．By doing further experiments |
| C．By observing other polar bears |
| D．By his lying position in death |
The underlined word "vulnerable" probably means _____
| A．easily hurt | B．difficult to hunt |
| C．dangerous | D．amazing |
What is the author's attitude to the incident?
| A．Favorable． | B．Uncaring |
| C．Doubtful． | D．Concerned |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．A novel． | B．A guidebook |
| C．A news report． | D．An advertisement |
Global Positioning Systems are now a part of everyday driving in many countries. These satellite-based systems provide turn-by-turn directions to help people get to where they want to go. But they can also cause a lot of problems, sending you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost. Many times, the driver is to blame. Sometimes a GPS error is responsible. Most often, says Barry Brown, it is a combination of the two.
Barry Brown is with the Mobile Life Centre in Stockholm, Sweden. The center studies human-computer interaction, or HCI, especially communications involving wireless devices. We spoke to Mr. Brown by Skype. He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States. There he borrowed a GPS-equipped car to use during his stay.
Barry Brown: “And they just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination. And, then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they had put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in. So again, the GPS is kind of “garbage in garbage out”. Mr. Brown says this is a common human error. But, he says, what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings, or failures, of GPS equipment.
Barry Brown: “One problem with many GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn. Because they just give you the next turn, sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”
Barry Brown formerly served as a professor with the University of California, San Diego. While there, he worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh. The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people’s cars. They wrote a paper based on their research. It is called “The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS.”
Barry Brown: “One of the things that struck us, perhaps the most important thing was that you have to know what you’re doing when you use a GPS. There are these new skills that people have developed. There are these new competencies that you need to have to be able to use a GPS because they sometimes go wrong.” Barry Brown says this goes against a common belief that GPS systems are for passive drivers who lack navigational (导航) skills.
“The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS” lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers. These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand. They also include timing issues related to when GPS commands are given.
Barry Brown says to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers, passengers and GPS systems work together.What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Is GPS system reliable to use? | B．What is the use of GPS? |
| C．How to make the most of GPS? | D．Blame! GPS or Passengers? |
What is the implication of the underlined part?
| A．GPS is just a garbage device. |
| B．GPS will not correct human errors. |
| C．GPS adjusts your wrong destination. |
| D．GPS is just as smart as human beings. |
Which is NOT mentioned as a GPS shortcoming in the passage?
| A．Small screen. | B．Timing of commands. |
| C．Outdated maps. | D．Dear cameras GPS uses. |
According to the passage, people commonly believe that ___________.
| A．you have to know where to go when using GPS |
| B．you need to have new competencies to use GPS well |
| C．GPS is proper for drivers with little sense of direction |
| D．GPS is fit for people having good understanding of maps |
“Image is everything.” An entire industry has been built upon the assumption that image is everything, but when it comes down to it, an appealing image is not enough. If there is no substance（事实）behind the image, the product, service or person will fail eventually.
First of all, one should consider how important image is in the selling of products and services. Advertising agencies have raised the art of creating an image to a state of near perfection. Public concept of that product or service is certainly managed by the images created by the advertising agencies．But if the product or service does not live up to the image that was created, the customer will be very dissatisfied and possibly ask for their money back. For example, the Arthur Andersen accounting firm had spent decades building up an image of trustworthiness. But the recent scandal (丑闻) showed that behind that image, it cheated in business practices. Despite the previous positive image, the firm is being accused of criminal actions and it will probably not survive as a business unit. Although the image had been nearly perfect, the reality behind the image has led to the downfall of the world famous accounting firm.
Similarly, personal advisers can build up a public image for politicians and movie stars. Putting out positive news releases, making sure that only the best photographs are published, and ensuring that the person is seen in all the right places can build up a very positive image in the view of the general commons. But once again, history is filled with examples of both politicians and movie stars that fell from grace like the story of the Hollywood actor giving in to the pressures of fame and fortune. With people, just as with products and services, image is certainly important, but without positive substance behind the image, failure is close.
To summarize, it is clear that an appealing image is extremely important to success, whether that image is related to selling a product or service or to the “selling” of a person. But image is only half of the equation. What lies behind that image is every bit as important as the image itself —— the person or product must deliver on that image or there is little chance for long-term success.The downfall of the Arthour Andersen accounting firm is due to ___________.
| A．its dishonesty in business | B．its previous images |
| C．its bad management | D．its poor service |
Why did some famous people fall from grace?
| A．Their images were not well built up. |
| B．They failed to live up to their images. |
| C．They felt much pressure from the public. |
| D．They paid little attention to fame and fortune. |
The structure of the passage is ___________.
A: Argument P: Point C: Conclusion
The author tries to argue that ___________.
| A．image creates everything |
| B．image is the key to success. |
| C．truth is unlikely ever to be equaled |
| D．truth and image are equally important |
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