题干

   It is widely known that any English conversation begins with The Weather. Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr. Johnson’s famous comment that “When two English meet, their first talk is of weather.” Though Johnson’s observation is as accurate now as it was over two hundred years ago, most commentators(评论员) fail to come up with a convincing explanation for this English weather-speak.

Bill Bryson, for example, concludes that, as the English weather is not at all exciting, the obsession with it can hardly be understood. He argues that” To an outsider, the most striking thing about the English weather is that there is not very much of it.” Simply, the reason is that the unusual and unpredictable weather is almost unknown in the British Isles.

Jeremy Paxman, however, disagrees with Bryson, arguing that the English weather is by nature attractive. Bryson is wrong, he says, “because the English preference for the weather has nothing to do with the natural phenomena(现象).” The interest is less in the phenomena themselves, but in uncertainty.” According to him, the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain and it attracts the English as well as the outsider.

Bryson and Paxman stand for common misconceptions about the weather-speak among the English. Both commentators, somehow, are missing the point. The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all. English weather-speak is a system of signs ,which is developed to help the speakers overcome the natural reserve and actually talk to each other. Everyone knows conversations starting with weather-speak are not requests for weather data. Rather, they are routine greetings, conversation starters or the blank “fillers”, In other words, English weather-speak is a means of social bonding.

【小题1】The author mentions Dr. Johnson’s comment to show that________.
A.most commentators agree with Dr. Johnson
B.Dr. Johnson is famous for his weather observation
C.the comment was accurate two hundred years ago
D.English conversations usually start with the weather
【小题2】What does the underlined word “obsession” most probably refer to?
A.A social trend.B.An emotional state.
C.A historical concept.D.An unknown phenomenon.
【小题3】According to the passage, Jeremy Paxman believes that________.
A.Bill Bryson has little knowledge of the weather
B.there is nothing special about the English weather]
C.the English weather attracts people to the British Isles
D.English people talk about the weather for its uncertainty
【小题4】What is the author’s main purpose of writing the passage?
A.To explain what English weather-speak is about.
B.To analyze misconceptions about the English weather.
C.To find fault with both Bill Bryson and Jeremy Paxman.
D.To convince people that the English weather is changeable.
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同类题1

语法填空

Different countries have different customs. First,let's talk about the time 【小题1】(open)the present. If you are in China,it is rude to open it as soon as you receive it. But in Britain and America,people will open it at once,because the givers like to see 【小题2】 the person reacts.

Now let's talk about different wedding 【小题3】(ceremony). In Korea,people will have a live hen and a live rooster — a hen is for good luck,and a rooster is for driving away bad things.

In Brunei,at wedding receptions,men and women sit in separate areas. The men are with the bridegroom while the women with the bride. Furthermore,alcohol 【小题4】(prohibit)in Brunei's weddings,which is 【小题5】(complete)different in China. Similar 【小题6】 parts of China, Brunei's people will play drums for hours or even a whole night for a wedding.  Another common custom to parts of China is that people will take off shoes before entering others' room.

Different languages can explain the cultural differences, but it's not always right. The British and the Americans share the same language, 【小题7】 they do not always have the same customs.

Take Bonfire Night as an example, the British 【小题8】(be) fond of it, while the Americans are not familiar with it.

All in all, there are many cultural differences around the world. Only by having 【小题9】 good knowledge of them can we behave properly when 【小题10】 (communicate).

同类题3

   Some years ago, I was hired by an American bank. I received a letter from the head of the Personnel Department that _______. "Dear John, I am quite pleased that you have decided to join us." That "quite" _______ me. I thought he was saying" We're _______ pleased you decided to join us although I _______ we had hired someone else. "Then I discovered that in American English "quite" sometimes means "very", _______ in British English it means "fairly".

So the _______ lesson about working in other countries is to _______ the language and by that I don't just _______ the words people speak. It contains _______ language, dress, manners, ideas and so on. The way people do things ________ many of the differences we see between cultures.

Some of these differences may be only on the surface-dress, food and hours of work-while ________ may be deeper and take longer to deal with. Mostly, it is just a question of getting used to the ________ and accepting them, like the climate, while we're getting on with business.

Some of the differences may be a(n)________. People are ________ polite; the service is better; you ask something to be done and it happens without having to ask again.________, other differences can be ________ punctuality(准时).If you invite people to a party at 7 o'clock, your guests will consider it polite to ________ exactly on time in Germany, five minutes early in the American Midwest, an hour early in Japan, 15 minutes afterwards in the UK, up to an hour afterwards in Italy and some in the evening in Greece. I ________ not to use the word "late" because there is nothing wrong with the ________ people base their behavior on. It is simply ________ in their own country.

【小题1】
A.wroteB.statedC.startedD.reminded
【小题2】
A.shockedB.saddenedC.annoyedD.delighted
【小题3】
A.a lot ofB.little ofC.a bit ofD.kind of
【小题4】
A.wishB.expectC.suggestD.deny
【小题5】
A.whileB.asC.sinceD.when
【小题6】
A.importantB.lastC.firstD.interesting
【小题7】
A.speakB.learnC.appreciateD.use
【小题8】
A.careB.meanC.writeD.tell
【小题9】
A.localB.writtenC.bodyD.spoken
【小题10】
A.showsB.expressesC.announcesD.notices
【小题11】
A.someB.anotherC.otherD.others
【小题12】
A.differencesB.climatesC.lifestylesD.languages
【小题13】
A.requirementB.encouragementC.excitementD.improvement
【小题14】
A.lessB.moreC.veryD.likely
【小题15】
A.InsteadB.BesidesC.HoweverD.Moreover
【小题16】
A.disappointingB.promisingC.troublingD.pleasing
【小题17】
A.turn upB.turn downC.drop outD.call up
【小题18】
A.wantB.hopeC.hateD.prefer
【小题19】
A.ruleB.timeC.cultureD.habit
【小题20】
A.honestB.meaningfulC.acceptableD.repeated

同类题4

   Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture (文化) the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion (困惑) across cultures. For example, many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities).Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don’t smile enough. In Southeast Asian cultures, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.

Our faces show emotions (情感), but we should not attempt to "read" people from another culture as we would "read" someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as do members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotions.

Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressions permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.

It is difficult to generalize about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural differences in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of "reading" the other person incorrectly.

【小题1】What does the smile usually mean in America?
A.Love.B.Politeness.
C.Joy.D.Thankfulness.
【小题2】The author mentions the smile of the Vietnamese to prove that smile can ___ .
A.show friendliness to strangers
B.be used to hide true feelings
C.be used in the wrong places
D.show personal habits
【小题3】What should we do before attempting(尝试) to "read" people?
A.Learn about their relations with others.
B.Understand their cultural backgrounds.
C.Find out about their past experience.
D.Figure out what they will do next.
【小题4】What would be the best title for the test?
A.Cultural Differences
B.Smiles and Relationship
C.Facial Expressiveness
D.Habits and Emotions

同类题5

   The people of Reykjavik are used to lying down for the winter, when each day brings with it only a few hours of sunlight. February coming, they’re more than ready to wake up from hibernation(冬眠)and welcome the first signs of spring. The local authorities decided this was a good time of a year to try to raise people’s spirits, and in 2002 they set up the Winter Lights Festival(February 7 to 10). Starting out as Museum Night, when museums waived their fees and stayed open until midnight, the festival has grown to an event that marks the coming return of daylight. For a few days, the city comes alive with bright lights, street performances, theater, dances, and live music. Shops, cafés, outdoor hot pools and the museums stay open until 12:00 pm and they’re all free of charge, with free bus services provided. Here are another two things about Reykjavik that will help you celebrate the coming end of winter.

The Blue Lagoon is Iceland’s most famous tourist attraction. Being an amazing place at any time of day, it is magical at dusk, when the steamy, ice blue waters shine in color. Little wooden bridges and walkways connect smaller pools with a larger pool, which contains geothermal(地热的)seawater heated from 37℃ to 39℃. The Lava Restaurant has great views over the waters. Basic entrance to the lagoon costs $ 44.

The Imagine Peace Tower, Yoko Ono’s memorial to John Lennon, was first lit by Ono on October 9, 2007, Lennon’s birthday, and shone until December 8, the date he was killed in 1980. It’s lit on the same date every year, as well as New Year’s Eve and spring equinox, which in 2013 is on March 20. The tower contains 15 searchlights that send a column of lights 4,000m up into the night sky. Guided tours are available(可获得的)with pick-up from your hotel for $ 39.

【小题1】The Winter Lights Festival was set up to _______________.
A.attract touristsB.light the city up
C.cheer people upD.wake people up
【小题2】The underlined word “waived” in the first paragraph probably means “_________________”.
A.keptB.gave up
C.raisedD.cut off
【小题3】According to the Paragraph 2, what can we know?
A.You can only visit the Blue Lagoon at dusk.
B.The water of the Blue Lagoon is beautiful.
C.The Lava Restaurant is Iceland’s most famous restaurant.
D.$ 44 can cover all the costs when you visit the Blue Lagoon.
【小题4】When did John Lennon pass away?
A.On October 9, 2007.B.On March 20, 2013.
C.On December 8, 1980.D.On New Year’s Eve in 1980.