Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasize (强调) the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries -- like the UK or France -- people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.
Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.
1.In some countries, eating together at restaurants may make it easier for people to___________.
A. get to know each other B. share the same culture
C. develop closer relations D. keep each other company
2.What does the author want to show us by mentioning his experience in Thailand?
A. Too many words are of no use.
B. The English prefer to make long speeches.
C. People from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature.
D. Even talk and silence can be culturally different.
3.According to the text, how can people from different cultures understand each other better?
A. By accepting different habits.
B. By recognizing different values.
C. By sharing different ways of life.
D. By speaking each other's languages.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. Cross-cultural differences
B. Multicultural environment
C. How to build up a relationship
D. How to understand each other
Parents should stop blaming themselves because there’s not a lot they can do about it. I mean the teenager problem, the one I want to talk about as a specialist. Whatever you do or however you choose to deal with it, at certain times a wonderful, reasonable and helpful child will turn into a terrible animal.
I’ve seen friends deal with it in all kinds of different ways. One strict mother insisted that her son, right from a child, should stand up whenever anyone entered the room, open doors and shake hands like a gentleman. I saw him last week when I dropped in on them. Sprawling himself (懒散地躺) on the sofa in full length, he made no attempt to turn off the loud TV he was watching as I walked in, and his greeting was no more than a quick glance at me. His mother was ashamed. “I don't know what to do with him these days,” she said. “He’s forgotten all the manners we taught him.”
He hasn’t forgotten them. He’s just decided that he’s not going to use them. She admitted that she would like to come up behind him and throw him down from the sofa onto the floor.
Another good friend of mine let her two daughters climb all over the furniture, reach across the table, stare at me and say, “I don’t like your dress; it’s ugly.” One of the daughters has recently been driven out of school. The other has left home.
“Where did we go wrong?” her parents are now very sad. Probably nowhere much. At least, no more than the rest of that unfortunate race, parents.
1.Who is probably the author of the text?
A. A doctor for mental health problems.
B. A headmaster of a middle school.
C. A parent without teenage children.
D. A specialist in teenager studies.
2.What does the underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refer to?
A. The advice that parents want their children to follow
B. The change from good to bad that’s seen in a child
C. The opinion that a child has of his parents
D. The way that parents often blame themselves
3.What we can infer about the parents from the second example?
A. They pay no attention to the two daughters.
B. They feel helpless to do much about the two daughters.
C. They have come to hate the two daughters gradually.
D. They are too busy to look after the two daughters.
4.What is the author's opinion about the sudden change in teenage children?
A. Parents have no choice but to try to accept it.
B. Parents are at fault for the change in their children.
C. Parents should work more closely with school teachers.
D. Parents should pay still more attention to the change.
Kitchen Products Thai Will Make Your Life a Lot Easier
♦ Hanging Trash Bag
Speaking of clever bag that will change your world, how many times have you cut off loads of vegetables and tried to clean up the messy waste, only to make half of it accidentally drop on the floor? This hanging trash bag attachment makes clean-up super easy, so you’ll never end up with smelly chopped (切碎的) onions all over your floor again.
Available on Amazon, $ 6.99
♦ Dream Farm Spoon
How many times have you struggled for just that last little bit of something out of a jar or dish? This all-purpose cooking spoon helps scrap (刮擦) the edges of any pan, bowl, or strangely-shaped container with zero effort, so you’ll always get that last bit, every time.
Available on Amazon, $20.40
♦ Flex Pot Clip
For those of us who’d rather not balance our serving spoon or wooden spoon on the edge of the pot unsteadily, or rest it on the counter where it’ll definitely make a mess, allow me to introduce you to the Flex Pot Clip. Attach it to the edge of your pot so you can keep your counters clean and your hands free. It’s heat-resistant and dishwasher safe!
Available on Amazon, $7.88
♦ Reusable Silicone Lids
These are useful to cover your food before putting it in the fridge if you often have leftovers. These silicone lids are flexible, reusable, arid airtight, allowing you to leave your food right in its original dish or bowl and keep it fresh for days. They’re clear, eco-friendly, and super easy to store, since they hardly take up any space.
Available on Amazon, $15.97
1.What is the use of the Hanging Trash Bag?
A. To reduce waste of food. B. To make containers clean.
C. To collect kitchen waste. D. To make food easy to store.
2.Where can you fix a Flex Pot Clip?
A. On the edge of a pot. B. In a dishwasher.
C. On the counter. D. In a comer.
3.Which of the following products can make the food remain fresh?
A. Flex Pot Clip. B. Hanging Trash Bag.
C. Dream Farm Spoon. D. Reusable Silicone Lids.
短文改错
We all have a strong desire to succeed. For some the desire is great than that of the average people. In fact, everyone wants to successful but very few are willing to pay the price of hard working. Success is an attitude and has no really secrets. It all start with your belief system. Your belief system starts with what you feel about yourself. You must at the first believe in yourself. On your journey to succeed, you will find that there are no shortcuts. You will never be able to completely master every detail of your life. Attempt to do so will only lead to disappointment. Besides, it's necessary of you to have clear goals. You'd better put down your goals on paper where they are visible so that they can help to monitor your progress.
单词拼写
1.To his ________（不利）, the climate was damp.
2.I know nothing about _________(组织; 筹备) any bid event.
3.Employees who have worked here for many years will be given _________(prefer)over newcomers.
4.If he doesn’t want to go, nothing you can say will ________(说服) her.
5.He is a _______（有决心的）person.
6.My whole family came to my __________(graduate).
7.The statue was ___________(运输) to London.
8.We are going on a ___________(旅程) to a strange country.
9.Miller was a quiet and ___________(可靠的) man.
10.Pete's ___________(态度) towards women really scares me.
When Dunstan Cass left the cottage, Silas Marner was only a hundred meters away. He was walking home from the village, where he had _____to buy what he needed______his next day’s work. His legs were tired, but he felt almost happy. He was looking forward to_______,when he would bring out his gold. Tonight he had an extra reason to hurry home. He was going to eat hot meat, which was_______for him. And it would _____him nothing, because someone had given him a piece of meat as a present. He left it______ over the fire. The door key was needed to hold safe in place, but Cass was not at all_______about leaving his gold in the cottage with the door____. He could not imagine that a thief would____ his way through the mist, rain and darkness to the little cottage by the quarry ( 采石场 ).
When he reached his cottage and opened the door, he did not notice ______ anything was different. He ____his wet coat, and pushed the meat_____the fire_______he was warm again, he began to think about his gold.. It seemed a long time to wait until after super, when he usually brought out coins to look at.______he decided to bring out his gold immediately, while the meat was still cooking.
But when he _____the floorboards near the room, and saw the _______hole, he did not understand _____. His heart beat violently as his trembling hands felt all round the hole. There was ______! He put his hands to his head and tried to think. Had he put his gold in a different place, and forgotten about it? He_____ every corner of this small cottage, until he could not pretend to himself any more. He had to accept the truth----his gold had been ____!
1.A. arrived B. been C. left D. gone
2.A. to B. in C. for D. with
3.A. holiday B. gold C. supper-time D. meat
4.A. ordinary B. unusual C. normal D. common
5.A. pay B. spend C. take D. cost
6.A. boiling B. cooking C. smoking D. making
7.A. interesting B. worried C. interested D. worrying
8.A. unlocked B. uncovered C. discovered D. locked
9.A. go B. lead C. find D. lose
10.A. whether B. that C. because D. as
11.A. turned off B. threw into C. threw off D. got off
12.A. away from B. farther on C. on to D. closer to
13.A. As soon as B. As well as C. No sooner D. As long as
14.A. But B. As C. So D. For
15.A. took down B. took after C. took over D. took up
16.A. dark B. empty C. small D. deep
17.A. at last B. at once C. at most D. at least
18.A. everything B. something C. nothing D. anything
19.A. searched B. searched for C. looked into D. found
20.A. gone B. missed C. lost D. stolen
