Britons may like to complain a lot, but they rarely do so right now, explains BBC writer Ruth Margolis. They would rather grumble (发牢骚) afterward. This is because Britons hate to put someone out and cause any embarrassment. Margolis writes, “For instance, I’m much more comfortable just leaving that piece of raw chicken on my plate instead of complaining to restaurant staff. But beware: if this kind of thing happens when you’re dining with an American, they will most likely speak up on your behalf and not understand why you find this ashamed.”
In a BBC blog post comparing cultural differences between the UK and the US, Margolis mentions a few other things that Americans like to do that are offensive to Britons.
● Not making introductions
Margolis says most Britons dislike this approach because “talking to strangers without being introduced gives them a stomachache”. Americans rarely introduce a new friend to their friends at parties. Strangers are supposed to introduce themselves.
● “Quite” good
Using “quite” to mean “very” happens a lot in the US. But if you are invited to a dinner party in Britain, don't describe the meal as “quite good” if you want to express high praise. To Britons’ ears, “quite” detracts from the “good”: the meal was OK but could have been better.
● Money Talk
Americans can talk about money subjects for hours without feeling uncomfortable. For Britons, says Margolis, “Talking about how much we make is unthinkable — even 1ess so than discussing our feelings.”
● Over-politeness
“It’s not that I want shop assistants to be actively rude. But neither do I want to expend energy responding to someone who's been paid to ask: ‘How are you today?’” says Margolis. In the US, it is not unusual to be greeted by a perfect stranger as “honey” or “sweetie”. But Margolis says Britons find put-on friendliness, especially in stores, deeply irritating.Margolis’ dining experience in Paragraph 1 shows that_______.
| A．Britons are particular about foods |
| B．Britons are not good at complaining |
| C．Americans usually complain directly |
| D．Americans complain more than Britons |
Which of the following might Margolis agree with?
| A．Britons enjoy talking about their feelings. |
| B．Americans introduce themselves at parties. |
| C．Americans dislike talking to strangers at parties. |
| D．Britons feel happy if treated like close friends. |
The underlined phrase “detracts from” in the text probably means ____.
| A．differs greatly from | B．increases the quality of |
| C．reduces the strength of | D．draws attention away from |
What does the text mainly talk about?
| A．How to get on well with westerners. |
| B．How to start conversations with Britons. |
| C．Ruth Margolis’ tips on public behavior. |
| D．Some American habits that annoy Britons. |
Searching for airfares often seems like a game that passengers are bound to lose.
Prices change from day to day, even minute to minute. Looking through multiple websites for the best deal can be a big challenge. Even when you do book, there’s no guarantee that you are going to get the best price.
“You just don’t know when to pull the trigger. It’s not like buying anything else I can think of,” said George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com.
Harriet Levy paid $179 for a recent round-trip flight on American Airlines between New York and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sitting just one row behind her, Shirley Harrison paid $215. A few rows back, Ellis and Dianne Traub paid $317 each. There were at least 12 fares on the flight, ranging from $169 to $360.
There’s no reason for it, Harrison said.
Fares can vary significantly in just a few hours. One Delta flight from New York to Los Angeles jumped from $755 to $1,143 from a Friday to Saturday in late April, then fell to $718 on Sunday.
The flight was one of a dozen the Associated Press (美国联合通讯社)followed over three months for a vacation between July 16 and 22. The number one finding: avoid booking tickets on weekends. It’s the most expensive time to buy.
There’s no way to guarantee the best fare. But before booking, travelers should pay attention to this additional advice:
● Book on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That’s when airlines most often offer sales.
● Buy in advance, but not too early. The best time is four to six weeks before traveling. In general, prices for any given flight are highest eight to ten weeks and two to three weeks in advance.
● Make use of social media. Airlines are giving more benefits like exclusive (独家) sales to travelers who interact (互动) with them on Twitter and Facebook. Those specials are often gone within hours.
● The so-called discount airlines – JetBlue, Air-Tran, Southwest and Frontier – adjust their fares less frequently than other airlines, so you can feel more confident that the price will stay the same. But their prices aren’t always the lowest. Researching multiple airlines’ fares is the only way to get a good deal.What can we infer from the first sentence of the text?
| A．Passengers are unable to search for airfares. |
| B．Airlines often play games with passengers. |
| C．Airfares are set in different situations. |
| D．It’s difficult for passengers to get the best price. |
The underlined phrase “pull the trigger” in Paragraph 3 probably means _______.
| A．start searching | B．get the highest price |
| C．make a purchase | D．get on board the plane |
By using a lot of figures, the author intends to _______.
| A．show there is standard price for every single airline |
| B．discover the rules behind airfares |
| C．guarantee passengers a low price |
| D．prove airfares can vary widely |
Passengers are advised to book flights _______.
| A．in the middle of the week |
| B．on special websites |
| C．several months before traveling |
| D．with airlines which are famous for offering discount prices |
What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is a simple question, you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in bio-technology. With the help of new medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and war. Today’s leading killers, such as heart disease, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memories.
In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond l20 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs. The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on — in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imaging that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.According to the passage, human death is now mainly caused by .
| A．diseases and aging | B．accidents and war |
| C．accidents and aging | D．heart disease and war |
In the author’s opinion, today’s most important advance in technology lies in .
| A．the Internet | B．brain cells |
| C． medicine | D．human organ |
Humans may live longer in the future because .
| A．heart disease will be far away from us |
| B．human brains can decide the final death |
| C．human organs can be repaired by new medicine |
| D．the basic materials of cells will last forever |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life |
| B．human life will not last more than 120 years in the future |
| C．humans have to take medicine to build new skin cells now |
| D．we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells |
Danielle Steel, America’s sweetheart, is one of the hardest working women in the book business. Unlike other productive authors who write one book at a time, she can work on up to five. Her research before writing takes at least three years. Once she has fully studied her subjects, ready to divide into a book, she can spend twenty hours nonstop at her desk.
Danielle Steel comes from New York and was sent to France for her education. After graduation, he worked in the public relations and advertising, industries. Later she started a job as a writer which she was best fit for. Her achievements are unbelievable: 390 million copies of books in print, nearly fifty New York Times best-selling novels, and a series of “Max and Martha” picture books for children to help them. Deal with the real-life problem of death, new babies and new schools. Her l998 book about the death of her was shot to the top of the New York Times best-selling list as soon as it came out. Twenty-eight of her books have been made into film. She is listed in the Guinness Books of World Records for one of her books being the Times best-seller for 381 weeks straight.
Not content with a big house, a loving family, and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Danielle Steel considers her readers to be the most important resource and has kept in touch with them by e-mail. While she is often compared to the heroines of her own invention. Her life is undoubtedly much quieter. But if she does have anything in common with them, it is her strength of will and her inimitable style. There is only one Danielle Steel.Danielle Steel is different from other writers in that .
| A．she is one of the most popular American women writers |
| B．she often does some research before writing a book |
| C．she can write several books at the same time |
| D．she can keep writing for quite a long time without a break |
One of Danielle Steel’ achievements is that .
| A．her picture books attracted a lot of young men |
| B．one of her books became a best-seller in 1998 |
| C．some TV plays were based on her books |
| D．she wrote the Guinness Book of World Records |
We can learn from the passage that Danielle Steel .
| A．lives an exciting life |
| B．is pleased with her achievements |
| C．writes about quiet women |
| D．values her readers a lot |
What does the underlined word “inimitable” mean?
| A．hardworking | B．attractive |
| C．strange | D．unique |
Kuala Lumpur is an exciting capital city in Malaysia. Here are the top 4 budget hotels there:
The Chinatown Inn (About $30 per night)
Just a block from the railway station, located in Chinatown’s open market. It has clean beds, central air conditioning, hot water for coffee and tea, and a hall with a big screen TV. Wi-Fi is good on the first 4 floors, but a little weak on Floor 5. Many guests like the Chinatown Inn. Their complaint is that the air condition is too cold, so make sure you get a room with a window. You can open it to let some warmth in.
Ancasa Express (About $45 per night).
The hotel is above the sky-train station. That makes it convenient to get to other parts of the city. From the station, take the elevator to the 5th floor to reach the hotel lobby (大厅). The rooms are clean and nice. There is a flat screen TV, the strongest Wi-Fi, and a very hot rainfall shower. The guests’ complaint is that the cafe is only open for breakfast and dinner, and not 24 hours.
Central Hotel (About $35 per night)
This hotel is just two blocks from the Central Station, which is the heart of all transportation in the city—buses, trains and sky-trains all meet here. Central is where the airport-link trains will take you to the airport. From Central you can walk 2 blocks to the beautiful Central Hotel, in which rooms are small but nice and clean, and have common Wi-Fi.
Ocean 77 (About $25 per night)
On Petaling Street in Chinatown, this brand new hotel is most spotlessly clean. There is a flat screen TV and good Wi-Fi in each room. The location is good, in the heart of the Petaling Street market. No cafe in the hotel, but many nearby on the street.In the Chinatown Inn you are told to choose a room with a window .
| A．because the light in the room is dim |
| B．so that you can breathe the fresh air |
| C．so that you can let some warm air in |
| D．so that you can have a good view from it |
If a guest likes surfing the Net very much, which of the following would be his first choice?
| A．Ancasa Express | B．Central Hotel. |
| C．Ocean 77. | D．The Chinatown Inn. |
What is the unusual characteristic of Ocean 77?
| A．It is the cheapest, newest and cleanest. |
| B．Its location is in the heart of the city. |
| C．It is located in the street in Chinatown. |
| D．There is a flat screen TV and good Wi-Fi. |
What can we learn from this passage?
| A．Wi-Fi in the Chinatown Inn is good in each room. |
| B．Only one of the four hotels is air-conditioned. |
| C．The café in Ancasa Express is open all day long. |
| D．Central Hotel is in the heart of all transportation. |
A holiday is any day when people lay aside their ordinary duties and cares. The word comes from Old English. At first, holidays honored some holy(神的) events or persons. People in Great Britain and other countries speak of holidays as Americans speak of vacations.
Every nation has its special holidays. China observes New Year’s Day(January 1), May Day and National Day as legal(法定的) holidays, as it was on Oct. 1, 1949 that People’s Republic of China was founded. The Chinese have long celebrated the Chinese lunar year. In the United States, congress（国会） has declared several as legal days such as New Year's Day (January1), Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, Washington's Birthday, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day and so on. Some holidays celebrate special events in the development of a country, such as Greece’s Independence Day, Italy’s Liberation Day and India’s Independence Day.
In the United States, banks and schools usually close on a legal holiday. When such a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday is often observed. Schools and organizations often observe days known as traditional holidays, although schools and businesses do not close then. Those holidays include Valentine's Day and Halloween.Which of the following holidays has nothing to do with a country’s development?
| A．China’s National Day |
| B．America’s Independence Day |
| C．Italy’s Liberation Day |
| D．Valentine’s Day |
From the passage we can infer that _________.
| A．Chinese will no longer observe the Spring Festival |
| B．Chinese and Americans share at least one holiday |
| C．students don’t have to go to school on any holiday |
| D．Americans can easily draw money from banks on legal days |
If a legal holiday falls on Sunday, people usually celebrate on_________.
| A．Sunday | B．the following Sunday |
| C．the following Monday | D．the following Tuesday |
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