Question

Traveling to every part of the world gets easier, but how well do we know and understand each other. Here’s a simple test. Imagine you are planning to hold a meeting at four o’clock. What time should you expect your foreign business friends to arrive? If they are Germans, they’ll arrive on time. If they are Americans, they’ll probably be 15 minutes early. If they are Englishmen, they’ll be 15 minutes late, and you should allow up to an hour for the Italians.

The British seemed to think since the English language was widely used in the world, people would always understand what they do. However, they found they were completely wrong. For example, the British are happy to have a business lunch and discuss business matters and have a drink during the meal. The Japanese prefer not to work while eating. Lunch is a time for them to relax and get to know each other and they don’t drink at lunchtime. The Germans like to talk business before dinner. The French like to eat first and talk afterwards. They have to be well fed and watered before they discuss anything.

1.What do the Germans prefer when they go to a meeting?

A. They prefer to be on time.

B. They prefer to arrive very early.

C. They prefer to arrive very late.

D. They prefer to arrive a little late.

2.According to the text, if a group of Englishmen, Americans and Italians hold a meeting, who will be the last to arrive?

A. The Englishmen.

B. The Americans.

C. The Italians.

D. Both the Englishmen and the Italians.

3.What do the Japanese like to do at lunchtime?

A. To drink.

B. To get to know each other.

C. To talk business.

D. To eat only.

4.According to the writer, the British like to ________.

A. arrive on time and talk business during the meal

B. arrive earliest and hate talking business at a meal

C. arrive 15 minutes late and talk business after the meal

D. arrive a few minutes late and discuss business during the meal

5.By giving us the two examples, the writer means to show us that _______.

A. different countries have different cultures in different parts of the world

B. the Germans are more serious and have good living habits

C. the Italians are careless people and they are never on time for everything

D. the French people are very lazy. They prefer eating and drinking more

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.B

4.D

5.A

【解析】

试题分析：作者在短文中列举了两个事例，一个是不同国家的人对时间观念的理解；另一个是不同国家的人在饭间都会做些什么。旨在说明不同的国家有不同的文化背景。

1.A细节理解题。根据短文中的句子“If they are Germans, they’ll arrive on time.”可知，德国人喜欢守时，故答案为A。

2.C 细节判断题。根据短文中的句子“If they are Americans, they’ll probably be 15 minutes early. If they are Englishmen, they’ll be 15 minutes late, and you should allow up to an hour for the Italians.” 如果是美国人，他们会早到十五分钟；英国人会晚到十五分钟；而你需要给意大利人留下一个小时的富裕时间。可知意大利人最晚到。答案为C。

3.B 细节理解题。根据短文中的句子“The Japanese prefer not to work while eating. Lunch is a time for them to relax and get to know each other and they don’t drink at lunchtime.” 日本人认为“食不言寝不语”,他们要在吃饭时了解彼此，而且他们吃饭中间不乱喝东西。故答案为B。

4.D细节理解题。根据短文中的句子“If they are Englishmen, they’ll be 15 minutes late,” 及“the British are happy to have a business lunch and discuss business matters and have a drink during the meal.”可知答案为D。

5.A细节理解题。通过短文的介绍我们可以知道，在世界的不同部分不同的国家有不同的文化，我们要加强彼此间的了解。故答案为A。

考点：文化类短文阅读。