The trip to the United Stated opened my eyes to the fact that there are a lot of similarities as well as differences between American youth and French youth.
The first difference is in appearance. Going around in the U.S., I found that American youth do not really care about their appearance. In the morning, they choose something in their closet and wear it with another thing, often of different colors and styles, without wondering whether their choices make them look strange. The reason behind this is that they don’t care what people look like, but are just interested in their ideas. I think it’s great, but it also causes problems. Since they don’t care about their appearance, they don’t really care about their weight. Often they get fat without realizing it.
There are differences in relationships too. When the American youth fall in love, they don’t really think of the future. Also, there are differences in the rules concerning behavior that is allowed. In some respects, the French are more accepting. For example, in America it is generally unacceptable to make physical display of love. Lovers, in theory, can’t kiss or hold each other everywhere they want. People think that not showing love in public places is a way to respect others. On the contrary, the French youth can do almost everything they want.
With regard to other types of relationships, there are also big differences. Americans act differently from French people in front of unknown people. When an American girl, for example, arrives in front of people she has never met before, she will talk with them, trying to create a kind of bond（联系）between her and this new circle of people. The French girls will just think about rather than really do this kind of thing because they are too shy and lacking in self-confidence.
To finish, I noticed that in American classes, when pupils want to say or ask something, they just do it. In general, they don’t really care how the others will judge them. In France, it’s not the same case. If somebody wants to ask something, he/she will think about it before speaking up. I appreciate the freedom in Americans’ behavior, ideas, and ways of expressing themselves.American young people _______.
| A．are just interested in people’s clothes |
| B．show more interest in people’s ideas |
| C．care more about their weight |
| D．are more concerned about appearance |
When American youth fall in love with each other, they _________.
| A．will not hold each other |
| B．will always think about their future |
| C．will rarely display their love in public |
| D．will kiss wherever they like |
When meeting with strangers, American girls will not _______.
| A．try to establish a type of relationship with them |
| B．have faith in themselves |
| C．start to create a conversation |
| D．behave in a way similar to French girls |
It can be inferred from the passage that French youth may think more about ______.
| A．their relationship’s future |
| B．their public images |
| C．their physical displays |
| D．their lover’s ideas |
The passage is mainly about the______ between American youth and French youth.
| A．similarities | B．friendship |
| C．differences | D．differences and the similarities |
A funny thing happened on the way to the communication revolution: we stopped talking to one another.
I was walking in the park with a friend recently, and his cell phone rang, interrupting our conversation. There we were, walking and talking on a beautiful sunny day and suddenly, I became invisible, absent from the conversation.
The telephone used to connect you to the absent. Now it makes people sitting next to you feel absent. Why is it that the more connected we get, the more disconnected I feel? Every advance in communication technology is a tragedy to the closeness of human interaction. With email and instant messaging over the Internet, we can now communicate without seeing or talking to one another. With voice-mail, you can conduct entire conversations without ever reaching anyone. If my mom has a question, I just leave the answer on her machine.
As almost every contact we can imagine between human beings gets automated, the emotional distance index goes up. You can’t even call a person to get the phone number of another person any more. Directory assistance is almost always fully automated.
I am not against modern technology. I own a cell phone, an ATM card, a voice-mail system, and an email account. Giving them up isn’t wise. They’re a great help to us. It's some of their possible consequences that make me feel uneasy.
More and more, I find myself hiding behind email to do a job meant for conversations or being relieved with voice-mail picking up because I don't really have time to talk. The industry devoted to helping me keep in touch is making me lonelier.Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．The Advance of Modern Technology |
| B．The Consequences of Communication Technology |
| C．The Story of Communication Revolution |
| D．The Automation of Modern Communication |
Which is NOT TURE according to the passage?
| A．The author has decided not to use his phone when he is with his friend. |
| B．Modern technology makes it hard for people to have a face-to-face talk. |
| C．The limited use of communication device brings much inconvenience to the author. |
| D．The industry intended to keep people in touch is taking them away from each other. |
The writer feels that the use of modern communication is ______.
| A．satisfying | B．encouraging |
| C．disappointing | D．embarrassing |
The passage implies that ______.
| A．modern technology is bridging the people |
| B．modern technology is separating the people |
| C．modern technology is developing too fast |
| D．modern technology is interrupting people |
Ideas about polite behavior are different from one culture to another. Some societies, such as America and Australia for example, are mobile and very open. People here change jobs and move house quite often. As a result, they have a lot of relationships that often last only a short time, and they need to get to know people quickly. So it's normal to have friendly conversations with people that they have just met, and you can talk about things that other cultures would regard as personal.
On the other hand there are more crowded and less mobile societies where long-term relationships are more important. A Malaysian or Mexican business person, for example, will want to get to know you very well before he or she feels happy to start business. But when you do get to know each other, the relationship becomes much deeper than it would in a mobile society.
To Americans, both Europeans and Asians seem cool and formal at first. On the other hand, as a passenger from a less mobile society puts it, it's no fun spending several hours next to a stranger who wants to tell you all about his or her life and asks you all sorts of questions that you don't want to answer.
Cross-cultural differences aren't just a problem for travelers, but also for the flights that carry them. All flights want to provide the best service, but ideas about good service are different from place to place. This can be seen most clearly in the way that problems are dealt with.
Some societies have 'universalist' cultures. These societies strongly respect rules, and they treat every person and situation in basically the same way.
'Particularist' societies, on the other hand, also have rules, but they are less important than the society's unwrinen ideas about what is right or wrong for a particular situation or a particular person. So the normal rules are changed to fit the needs of the situation or the importance of the person.
This difference can cause problems. A traveler from a particularist society, India, is checking in for a flight in Germany, a country which has a universalist culture. The Indian traveler has too much luggage, but he explains that he has been away from home for a long time and the suitcases are full of presents for his family. He expects that the check-in official will understand his problem and will change the rules for him. The check-in official explains that if he was allowed to have too much luggage, it wouldn't be fair to the other passengers. But the traveler thinks this is unfair, because the other passengers don't have his problem.Often moving from one place to another makes people like Americarts and Australians
| A．like traveling better |
| B．easy to communicate with |
| C．difficult 1o make rcal friends |
| D．have a long-term relationship with their neighbors |
People like Malaysians prefer to associate with those
| A．who will tell them everything of their own |
| B．who want to do business with them |
| C．they know quite well |
| D．who are good at talking |
A person from a less mobile society will feel it_____ when a stranger keeps talking to him or her, and asking him or her questions.
| A．boring | B．friendly | C．normal | D．rough |
Which of the following is true about "particularist societies"?
| A．There is no rule for people to obey. |
| B．People obey the society's rules completely. |
| C．No one obeys the society's ruies though they have. |
| D．The society's rules can be changed with different persons or situations. |
The writer of the passage thinks that the Indian and the German have different ideas about rules because of different__________.
| A．interests | B．habits and customs |
| C．cultures | D．ways of life |
The year was 1932. Amelia Earhart was flying alone from North America to England in a small single-engined aeroplane. At midnight, several hours after she had left Newfoundland, she ran into bad weather. To make things worse, her altimeter (高度表) failed and she didn't know how high she was flying. At night, and in a storm, a pilot is in great difficulty without an altimeter. At times. her plane nearly plunged (冲) into the sea.
Just before dawn, there was further trouble. Amelia noticed flames coming from the engine. Would she be able to reach land? There was nothing to do except to keep going and to hope.
In the end, Amelia Earhart did reach Ireland, and for the courage she had shown, she was warmly welcomed in England and Europe. When she retumed to the United States, she was honored by President Hoover at a special dinner in the White House. From that time on, Amelia Earhart was famous.
What was so important about her flight? Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly the Atlantic Ocean alone, and she had set a record of fourteen hours and fifty-six minutes.
In the years that followed, Amelia Earhart made several flights across the United States, and on each occasion she set a new record for flying time. Amelia Earhart made these flights to show that women had a place in aviation (航空) and that air travel was useful.Which of the following statements is NOT the difficulty which Amelia Earhart met in her flight from north America to England?
| A．She was caught in a storm. |
| B．The altimeter went out of order. |
| C．Her engine went wrong. |
| D．She lost her direction. |
When Amelia Earhart saw flames coming from the engine. what did she do?
| A．She did nothing but pr ay for herself |
| B．She changed her direction and landed in Ireland. |
| C．She continued flying. |
| D．She lost hope of reaching land. |
According to the passage, what was Amelia Earhart's reason for making her flights?
| A．To set a new record for flying time. |
| B．To be the first woman to fly around the world. |
| C．To show that aviation was not just for men. |
| D．To become famous in the world. |
Which of the following statements was NOT mentioned?
A. She was the first woman who succeeded in flying across the Atlantic Oceanalone.
B. She showed great courage in overcoming the difficulties during the flight.
C She was warmly welcomed in England, Europe and the United States.
D. She made plans to fly around the world.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Amelia Earhart-First Across the Atlantic. |
| B．Amelia Earhart-Pioneer in Women's Aviation. |
| C．A New Record for Flying Time. |
| D．A Dangerous Flight from North America to England. |
The blue eyes that looked at him from outside the door were like the light through a maginifying glass (放大镜) when it is at its brightest and smallest, when paper and leaves begin to smoke.
"Hey . " said the man in the door. " Remember me? "
" Yes. " the boy said. whispering. "Rick. "
He felt so surprised to see Rick. All of Rick seemed to be shown in the eyes. With a strong feeling that ought to have hurt him.
" You knew me." Rick said. " You hadn't forgotten. "
" You're--just the same. " the boy said. and felt much thankful.
He seemed even to be wearing the same clothes, the same blue shirt and grey trousers. He was thin, but he was built to be lean; and he was still, or again. sunburnt. After everything, the slow white smile still showed the slight feeling of happiness.
" Let's look at you." Rick said, dropping into a chair. Then slowly he felt more at home, and he became once more just Rick as if nothing had happened. There were lines about his eyes. and deeper lines on his cheeks. but he looked like-just Rick, lined by sunfight and smiling.
" When I look at you." he said, " You make me think about me, for we look like each other. "
" Yes, " said the boy, eagerly, " they all think we both look like my grandfather. "On his return. Rick_______.
| A．had not changed much |
| B．looked very old |
| C．was much thinner than before |
| D．was wearing different clothes |
Rick and the boy are probably________.
| A．brothers | B．related |
| C．friends | D．neighbours |
You could describe Rick as________.
| A．old and friendly | B．old and nervous |
| C．thin and nervous | D．thin and friendly |
From the passage we can tell that the boy_____.
| A．was worried that Rick had forgotten him |
| B．was proud of what Rick had done |
| C．was pleased to see Rick |
| D．wondered where Rick had been |
Rick and the boy_______.
| A．had similar personalities |
| B．cared about each other |
| C．had lived in the same house |
| D．felt their friendship had changed |
EVENTS
Bicycle tour and race
A bike tour and race will be held on August 26 and 27 (Sat & Sun.). At 5:30 am, the riders will leave Tian'anmen Square and ride the first 35 kilometres as a training leg. Then the next 55-kilometre-leg. from Yanjiao to Jixian. will be the first competitive part of the tour. The riders and their bikes will then be takern from Jixian to Changli.
The second racing leg of the tour will be from Changli to the seaside of Nandaihe, covering a distance of 20 kilometres. Saturday night includes the stay at Nandaihe and supper. Sunday morning is free for play at the seaside. At noon all the people and their bikes will be taken back to Beijing.
Cost: 200 yuan Telephone: 4675027
Brazilian footballers
The Brazilian Football Club will play Beijing Guo'an Team at the Workers Stadium on August 26. The club has four national team players. Also coming is 1994 US World Cup star Romario who has promised to play for at least 45 minutes.
Ticket prices: 60; 100; 150 yuan
Time/Date: 4:30 pm, August 26 (Sat. ) Telephone: 5012372
Rock climbing
The Third National Rock Climbing Competition will be held on August 26-27 at the Huairou
Mountain-climbing Training Base. More than 10 teams from Beijing, Wuhan, Dalian, Jilin and other places will take part in it. A Japanese team will give an exhibition climbing. Free for spectators(观众).
Take a long-distance bus from Dongzhimen to Huairou.
Time/Dates: 9-12 am, August 26 and 27
Telephone: 7143177, 7144850, Wang ZhenghuaThe main purpose of announcing the above events is to give information about_________.
| A．visiting teams |
| B．famous players |
| C．things to do for the weekend |
| D．prices to pay for the sports events |
If you take part in the bike tour. you will ride for ________.
| A．35 kilometres | B．55 kilometres |
| C．75 kilometres | D．ll0 kilometres |
The underlined word "leg" in "Bicycle tour and race" probably means_______.
| A．race | B．practice |
| C．part of the training | D．part of the tour |
What is special about the rock climbing competition?
| A．A foreign team takes pan in it. |
| B．You can watch it without paying. |
| C．You don't have to be a sportsman to take part. |
| D．The bus trip to the place of the competition is free. |
If you want to find something to do for Saturday aftermoon, which telephone number will you call?
| A．4675027 | B．7143177 | C．5012372 | D．7144850 |
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