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任务型阅读。
What is time?Is time the same all over the world?You may say that's an easy question．Wherever(无论哪里)you go,a minutes 60 seconds,an hour is 60 minutes,a day is 24 hours and so on．But in America,time is more than that．Americans see time as a valuable(贵重的)resource(资源)．(A)Maybe that's why they are fond of the expression(表达)“Time is money”．
(B)Americans believe time is a limited(有限的)resource,so they all try hard to save it and use it in an efficient(有效的)way．No one can express the view(观点)better than the early American hero Benjamin Franklin,“Do you love life?Then do not waste(C),for that is the stuff(材料)fife is made of．”
(D)To Americans,being on time is a way of showing respect(尊重)for others' time．If someone is(E)over ten minutes later than they have planned(计划),he has to say sorry or tell the reason．People who are running late(迟到)often call ahead(提前)to let others know of the delay(延期)．The lifestyles(生活方式)of Americans show how much people respect the time of others．When people plan an event,they often set(定)the time several days or weeks before it．Once the time is fixed(确定),it is hardly changed,unless(除非)the situation is critical(紧急的)．If people want to come to your house for a friendly visit,they usually ring you up to make sure(确信)you have time and are at home．Besides,(F)大部分美国人不愿意晚上十点以后打电话,without anything important．
To outsiders(局外人),Americans seem tied to(受……束缚)the clock,while they themselves like plans to be fixed and unchangeable．
Time is one of life's most precious(珍贵的)gifts．And unwrapping(打开)is great fun．
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