Question

When my family moved to America in 2010 from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.

I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.

In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.

However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.

After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words.

By Jack

1.Jack brought the couple their food very fast because _______.

A. the manager asked him to do so                   B. he respected the elderly

C. the couple wanted him to do so                    D. he wanted more pay

2.When Jack called the couple “elderly”, they became _______.

A. nervous             B. satisfied     C. unhappy              D. excited

3.In Jack’s hometown, _______.

A. people dislike being called “old”

B. people are proud of being old

C. many people reach the age of seventy or eighty

D. the elderly are the first to get food in restaurants

4.After this experience, Jack _______.

A. lost his job in the restaurant

B. made friends with the couple

C. no longer respected the elderly

D. changed his way with older people

5. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got.

B. Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience.

C. The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple.

D. From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.B

4.D

5.D

【解析】

试题分析：本文叙述了作者在一家的美国餐馆打工时，有一次他给一位老人服务，他说他尊敬老人，但是这却引起了美国人的不高兴，因为美国人认为老人意味着要退休了或者身体不好了，所以他们想法设法不让自己看起来那么老，因此有人说他们老他们会不高兴的，有了这次经历作者也了解了美国的文化。

1.细节理解题。根据I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. 因为杰克尊敬老人，故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. 他们变得不高兴了，故选C。

3.细节理解题。根据One of the rules is that young people should always respect elders. 因为老年人受到尊敬，所以老年人感到很自豪，故选B。

4.细节理解题。根据After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. 他改变了对老人的方式，故选D。

5.细节理解题。根据After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences,通过这件事他 了解了美国的文化，故选D。

考点：考查文化类短文阅读。