Travelling to all corners of the world gets easier and easier. We live in a global village, but this doesn't mean that we all behave in the same way.
How should we behave when you meet someone for the first time? An American shakes your hand firmly while looking you straight in the eye. In many parts of Asia, there is no physical contact () at all. In Japan, you should bow, and the more respect you want to show, the deeper you should bow. In Thailand, people greet each other by pressing both hands together at the chest. In both countries, eye contact is avoided as a sign of respect.
Many countries have rules about what you should and shouldn't wear. In Korea, you should takeoff your shoes when entering a house. Remember to place them neatly together where you came in.
In Spain, lunch is often the biggest meal of the day, and can last two or three hours. For this reason many people eat a light breakfast and a late dinner. In Mexico, lunch is a time to relax, and many people prefer not to discuss business as they eat. In Britain, it's not unusual to have a business meeting over breakfast.
In most countries, an exchange of business cards is necessary for all introductions. You should include your company name and your position. If you are going to a country where your language is not widely spoken, you can get the back side of your card printed in the local language. In China, you may present your card with the writing facing the person you are giving it to.
| Title: Good |
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| Aspect |
Country |
Custom |
| ·America ·Japan · |
·Shaking hands firmly · ·Pressing both hands together at the chest |
|
| Dressing |
·Korea |
·Taking off your shoes at the |
| Eating |
·Spain ·Mexico · |
·Having a light breakfast and a late dinner ·Relaxing while having ·Holding a business meeting over breakfast |
| Doing business |
·Most countries ·China |
·Exchanging business card when yourself ·Presenting a card to a person |
| Conclusion: When travelling |
Weibo, or micro-blogs, the Chinese version of Twitter, has be-come a way of life in China, especially for the young. Our train bumped into something. Our carriage has fallen onto its side. Children are screaming. Come to help us please ！ Come fast ！
This is the first message sent from a high-speed train that crashed on July 23rd，2011 in China's Zhejiang province.
Not only was it a cry for help, which saved tens of lives, but it also contributed to a wave of unprecedented（史无前例的）"citizen journalism" on China's micro-blogs. Within ten hours, the message was reposted over one-hundred-thousand times, which was something the girl, Xiao Yang, who wrote it had never imagined. She said，" I just wanted to survive at that moment, so I posted a message on Weibo. I didn't know it would help us to be rescued so quickly. "After the crash, China's twenty million strong microbloggers demonstrated tremendous （巨大的）and unfamiliar power. They joined rescue efforts, helped survivors and monitored the officials investigating the accident.
As with traditional media, Weibo functions as a mirror on society, sparking debates and enlightening discussions. But what's different about the micro-blogging site is that anyone-not just journa-lists-can take a photo, record a video clip or write a quick note about what is happening around them.
I can fully accept this new Weibo lifestyle. Almost everyone has Weibo now. I read news on Weibo and it helps me with my life. I also write or repost news sometimes.
Clearly, Weibo enables millions of Chinese to become " citizen journalists"，opening them up to fresh news and views on their community, country and world.
This has led to many micro-bloggers keeping a closer eye on the authorities. In response, the government is also using Weibo as a tool to respond to citizens' queries（疑问）. And in Beijing, microbloggers have already left thousands of messages, urging the government to solve problems they consider urgent.
Wang Hui, general director of Beijing Information Office, said，"Weibo has created a platform for government officials to better understand what the citizens are thinking about and what they really need. This bottom-to-top information transmission channel is innovative and will become a new trend for government officials to provide better services for the people. "
But, however compelling （引人注目的）Weibo may be, much information it provides turns out to be rumors. Weibo, as a platform, not only helps the Chinese people express their views, but also trains the government in facing public opinion. Meanwhile, for Xiao Yang, a simple message saved her life. And for millions of others, Weibo means much more than just a simple touch on a smart phone.
| Weibo helps Chinese |
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| Passage outline The Chinese version of Twitter |
Supporting details |
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| Weibo has become a new way of life, especially for young |
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| One example |
Process of the event |
• A message from a crashed train for • The message was immediately reposted over one-hundred-thousand times. • Rescue efforts were joined |
| Effects and results of the event |
• Some people were saved. • A wave of "citizen journalism" was • How officials responded to and dealt with the accident was also monitored. |
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| Comparisons between traditional media and Weibo |
They both function as a mirror on society. |
|
| Difference |
Any micro-blogger can be a |
| Discussion between traditional media and Weibo |
• It enables millions of Chinese to become supervisors of society as well as the authorities. • People have new views. • The government feels services more effective. |
| Something more about Weibo |
• It sometimes provides rumors. • It means much more than just a simple touch on the smart phone. |
阅读下面短文，根据所读内容在文后第47至第56小题的空格里填上适当的单词并将答案转写到答题卡上。
注意：每空仅填一个单词。
The ancient religions of the Greeks and Romans were based on myths. Originally the word meant “spoken words” or stories. Nowadays myths refer to tales without a kernel of truth, or fantasies.
In nearly every civilization people tried to control their surroundings and the things happening around them to make them less threatening. In prehistoric cultures myths were used to explain natural phenomena. Ancient civilizations saw the earth as the goddess because of its fertility. Other phenomena like wind, lightning and thunder also were brought into connection with supernatural forces. The people felt themselves surrounded by gods and completely dependent.
The Greek myths also originated in that manner, but had more functions. They also explained the beginning of the world and the origin of man. Furthermore, the myths kept alive the memories of the foundation of important cities as well as the heroic deeds of civilizations and individuals. The tales of heroes, human beings with often supernatural capacities, gave men examples of perfection. During the whole Classical Period people believed the myths, but over time they came to be taken less and less seriously.
During the Greek Period myths were spread by word of mouth. The singing of mythical events was an important aspect of religious ritual. Many singers traveled around and sang the tales they heard on their way.
The first collection of myths was the work of Homer. He was blind, and to survive he collected traditional stories and let them been written down by others. The books of his that we know are the Iliad and the Odyssey. The first author to write about the beginning of the world and its deities was Hesiod in the 18the century.
| Title: |
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| Meaning |
They meant “spoken words” or traditional stories. |
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| Nowadays |
They meant something that people believe but which doesn’t |
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| Prehistoric cultures |
They were used to explain aspects of the natural world and supernatural phenomena. |
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| People felt completely dependent on |
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| Classical period |
Besides explaining natural phenomena, they also ①explained how the world began and how the man came into ② ③dealt with supernatural beings and heroes. |
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| People believed in them but were not |
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| Forms |
Oral myths |
They were usually sung in religious rituals or by |
| The representative authors are Homer and Hesiod. |
任务型阅读 (共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分)
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号后的横线上。每个空格只填一个单词.
Aspirin has been called a wonder drug because it has so many applications. As opposed to most drugs, which have a single purpose, aspirin is a pain reliever, a fever reducer, and a blood thinner all in one. Scientists didn’t begin to truly understand how aspirin works until the 1970s, but we now know that aspirin prevents cells from producing prostaglandins (前列腺素), chemicals that carry pain messages from damaged cells to the brain.
Preventing prostaglandin production is also how aspirin helps keep blood flowing through the cardiovascular (心脏血管的) system. Aspirin shuts down the production of many types of prostaglandins, one of which causes blood cells to stick together and helps prevent clots (凝块). By preventing this particular prostaglandin’s production, aspirin thins the blood. Many people with heart disease take a low dose of aspirin every day as a preventative measure against heart attacks and strokes. While it’s not known exactly how aspirin reduces fevers, modern physicians and researchers believe that aspirin acts on the hypothalamus (下丘脑), the part of the brain that regulates autonomic functions, including body temperature.
Because of its long history and roots in traditional medicine, aspirin is often thought to be completely safe and harmless, but unfortunately, even a wonder drug can have some downsides. Doctors warn people with clotting problems against taking aspirin, since it can make clotting disorders worse, and it shouldn’t be taken for lengthened periods of time after operations, since it can slow healing by preventing blood from clotting. Aspirin is particularly inadvisable for children, because kids who take aspirin (especially for things like fevers and the flu) are more likely to develop a deadly nervous-system disorder called Reye’s syndrome.
It’s worthwhile keeping a bottle of regular aspirin in the house. Besides coming in handy for various aches and pains, aspirin is also helpful in several household applications.
Aspirin is highly effective at reducing the redness caused by insect bites. Wet the area and put an aspirin tablet on the spot. Cut flowers will last longer if their water includes a crushed-up aspirin tablet. Because it contains salicylic acid, aspirin also works to reduce the appearance of pimples (脓疱). Putting an aspirin paste on a pimple will help dry it out and get rid of the redness.
If you find that your white T-shirts accumulate yellow stains, aspirin can fix those, too. Break a few pills into pieces, mix them with some warm water, and wet the stains with the solution before washing—the aspirin will make the shirts look as good as new. Aspirin has also been recommended for bringing dead car batteries back to life and removing chlorine (氯) buildup from the hair of people who swim frequently in pools.
Considering all the things aspirin can do, modern medicine would be hard pressed to come up with something better.
| An Aspirin a Day Keeps Everything Away |
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| Passage outline |
Supporting details |
| Medicinal applications of aspirin |
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| Downsides of aspirin |
worsening clotting |
| reducing the redness caused by insect bites effectively enabling cut flowers to |
A listener from China has written for advice about how to lose weight. Michael in Shanghai says he is 26 and has battled obesity for most of his life.
Obesity, a severe weight problem, is a complex condition. A doctor may advise taking medicine along with changing one's behaviors. Experts say that the most successful weight-loss plans include a wellbalanced diet and exercise.
People who want to avoid weight gain have to balance the number of calories they eat with the number of calories they use. To lose weight, you can reduce the number of calories you take in, increase the number you use, or both.
A recent study looked at four of the most popular dieting plans in the US. Researchers at Stanford University in California studied over 300 overweight women, mostly in their thirties and forties. Each woman went on one of the four plans: Atkins, The Zone, Ornish or LEARN. The women attended diet classes and received written information about the food plans.
At the end of the year, the women on the Atkins diet had lost the most, more than four and one-half kilograms on average. They also did better on tests for cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
Christopher Gardner, who led the study, says the Atkins diet may be more successful because of its simple message to eat less sugar. He also says that the advice to increase protein in the diet leads to more satisfying meals. He says that there was not enough money to study men, but that men would probably have similar results.
Last week, another report based on thirty-one studies suggested that only a small minority of people have long-term success with dieting. Most dieters regained their lost weight within five years and often they become more overweight. But those who kept the weight off generally were the ones who exercised.
Title: to lose weight
| Doctors' advice |
●take medicine along with |
| Experts' |
●a well-balanced diet: ● |
| Four of the most popular dieting plans in the US |
●Atkins: eat less sugar than usual and ●The Zone ● ●LEARN |
| From |
●have long-term success with dieting, otherwise most dieters will ●exercise is more important than dieting for |
Frederick M. Hess is the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, which is a nonprofit organization that conducts research on many public issues. He says that a long summer vacation doesn’t make sense in today’s world.
Can American students afford to take a summer vacation? In a summer vacation, millions of kids spend valuable time sending messages, watching TV, playing video games and doing shopping in the mall. They will also be putting their academic futures at risk.
Summer vacation once made sense in the past when you didn’t need an education to get a good job. But now things have changed. For today’s students, academic skills are important to students’future success, but such skills are affected in the summertime. Many nations don’t give kids an American-style summer vacation. They offer no more than seven consecutive（连续的） weeks of vacation. Most American school districts offer up to thirteen weeks. To compete in the global marketplace, Americans must be prepared to go up against international competitors.
Summer vacation also causes challenges for today’s families. In the 1960s, more than 60% of families had a stay-at-home Mom. Now two-thirds of American children live in households where every adult works. For these families, summer vacation can be more burden than break. Someone must watch the kids.
But the biggest problem may be how summer vacation hurts academic achievement. Researchers have found that disadvantaged students lose significant ground in the summertime.
A longer school year does not have to be an invitation to hard boring work. Rather, it should allow time-pressed teachers to conduct richer and more imaginative lessons. Schools would have more time to devote to athletics, languages, music and the arts. Summer vacation can be a grand thing. But in the 21st century, it may also be outdated.
Title: Summer Vacation
| Theme |
A long summer vacation isn’t |
|
| Basic Information |
13 weeks in most American schools |
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| Students’ |
·Sending messages and watching TV ·Playing video games ·Doing shopping |
|
| Disadvantages |
· ·Being a ·Hurting students’ academic achievement and resulting in |
|
| Suggestion |
A longer school year does not have to |
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| Though being a ground thing, summer vacation might be out of |
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