Just as our degree of individual freedom uncomfortable to many foreign visitors, foreign attitudes toward truth seem uncertain to Americans.

In many countries people will tell you what they think you want to hear, whether or not it is true. To them, this implies politeness. To Americans, it is considered misleading-even dishonest--to distort facts on purpose, however kind the motive. The point is ---our priorities(优先) are different; in the United States truth has a higher priority than politeness. We are taught from babyhood that “Honesty is the best policy.” Elsewhere, politeness, honor, family loyalty, “machismo” or many other values might come far ahead of honesty if one is listing priorities.

But with us, trust and truth are of paramount importance. If we say of a man, “You cannot trust him.” This is one of the most damning statements that can be made about him.

In view of such profound differences in values, it is natural that misunderstandings and irritations often occur, especially in exact areas such as the negotiation of contracts. A Mexican has said, “With us b business is like a courtship(求爱).” Americans lack this grace, but on the other hand you can count on their word. You know where you are with them; except in advertising, they will not be “whispering sweet nothings” that they do not mean in order to make you feel desirable!

“How far is it to the next village?” the American asks a man standing by the edge of the road. In some countries, because the man realizes that the traveler is tired and eager to reach his destination, he will politely say “Just down the road.” He thinks this is more encouraging, gentler, and therefore the wanted answer. So the American drives on through the night, getting more and more angry, feeling “tricked.” He thinks the man deliberately lied to him, for obviously he must have known the distance quite well.

Had conditions been reversed, the American would feel he was “cheating” the driver if he implied the next town was close when he knew it was really 15miles further on. Although, he, too, would be sympathetic to the weary driver, he would say, “you have a good way to go yet; it is at least 15 more miles.” The driver might be disappointed, but he would know what to expect.

This often-epeated question of accuracy versus courtesy leads to many misunderstandings between people of different cultures. If you are aware of the situation in advance, it is sometimes easier to recognize the problem.

67．The best title for the passage should be_______.

A．Truth or politeness      B．Truth or lying

C．Cultural differences     D．Honest Americans

68．In American’s view, people who tell you what they think you want to hear, whether or not it is true, are_______.

A．polite            B．honest        C．kind         D．misleading

69．According to the author, misunderstandings and angers often occur as a result of_______.

A．the exactness of negotiation    B．the importance in trust and truth

C．deep differences in values       D．lack of respect

70．According to the author, Americans_______.

A．treat a business deal like a courtship

B．list honor on the top of the list of values

C．do not whisper sweet nothings in advertising

D．expect to know the exact distance when asking the way

 

I used to be a mortgage broker(贷款中间人) in the Phoenix area. In April 2007, the company that I had been with for a year went out of business. That was the latest of the four companies that I had worked for since 2000 .They all either went under or let most of the employees go, including me.

  In December 2007, the bank took back my house, and I had no choice but to move in with my parents, five miles away. My sister has three children, and she had no room. My fiancée(未婚妻), Brandi Wetch, and I have been living in my parents’ house for about a year and a half now.

  My mother, Sue, works part-time at a high school library. My father left for a job in the Marshall Islands a few months ago and will be gone for two years.

  I’m trying to be patient with finding a new job, but it’s been hard. I check the Internet for jobs every morning. I have sent countless letters but have never got a job. I have no idea how many other people are applying for the same job.

  I do the housework and washing, and I take care of the garden. Sometimes, I feel like the best part of my life is over. The worst part of the day is when I chat with my friends on the Internet. I’ve talked to about 10 old friends online. The first thing they usually ask is what I’m doing now.

  My mother, who is in her 60s, has been so patient and supportive. She acts like she’s happy to have us, not like we’re crowding her. We have learned what’s important since I lived here.

1. We can infer that the writer is living a _________ life.

A. busy                           B. rich                    C. difficult                D. hopeful

2. How long has the writer been out of work?

A. For more than a year                                  B. For a year and a half

C. For less than two years                                 D. For more than two years

3.Which of the following types of work is NOT done by the writer in his parents’ house?

A. Looking after children                                B. Doing the housework.

C. Washing clothes and dishes                           D. Applying for a job online.

4.It can be learned from the passage that the writer now________.

A. is preparing for his wedding                        B. is fond of doing the housework

C. is patient with job-hunting                           D. is afraid of being asked about work

 

An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.

In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit(追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched(发起) the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998. Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong Kong.

In Chicago, the mayor(市长) appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighborhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.

   The only problem arose in New York, where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity can be achieved. Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point, putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.

Ultimately, as Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process, or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.

1.What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?

A. To invite authors to guide readers.

B. To encourage people to read and share.

C. To involve people in community service.

D. To promote the friendship between cities.

2. Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the project?

A. They had little interest in reading.

B. They were too busy to read a book.

C. They came from many different backgrounds.

D. They lacked support from the local government.

3.According to the passage, where would the project be more easily carried out?

A. In large communities with little sense of unity.

B. In large cities where libraries are far from home.

C. In medium-sized cities with a diverse population.

D. In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached.

4. The underlined words “shared a word” in Paragraph 5 probably mean      .

A. exchanged ideas with each other

B. discussed the meaning of a word

C. gained life experience

D. used the same language

5.According to Nancy, the degree of students of the project is judged by           .

A. the careful selection of a proper book

B. the growing popularity of the writers

C. the number of people who benefit from reading

D. the number of books that each person reads

 

One of the most widely accepted, commonly repeated assumptions (假设) in our culture is that if you exercise, you will lose weight. I exercise all the time, but I still have got fat that hangs over my belt when I sit. Why isn’t all the exercise getting rid of it?

It’s a question many of us could ask. More than 45 million Americans now belong to a health club, up from 23 million in 1993. We spend some $19 billion a year on gym memberships. Of course, some people join and never go. Still, as one major study — the Minnesota Heart Survey — found, more of us at least say we exercise regularly.

And yet obesity (肥胖) figures have risen sharply in the same period: a third of Americans are obese, and another third count as overweight by the Federal Government’s definition. Yes, it’s entirely possible that those of us who regularly go to the gym would weigh even more if we exercised less. But like many other people, I get hungry after I exercise, so I often eat more on the days I work out than on the days I don’t. Could exercise actually be keeping me from losing weight?

The popular belief that exercise is essential for weight control is actually fairly new. As recently as the 1960s, doctors routinely advised against too much exercise, particularly for older adults who could injure themselves. Today doctors encourage even their oldest patients to exercise, which is sound advice for many reasons: People who regularly exercise are at significantly lower risk for all manner of diseases — those of the heart in particular. They less often develop cancer and many other illnesses. But the past few years of obesity research show that the role of exercise in weight loss has been wildly over-evaluated.

“In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless,” says Eric Ravussin, exercise researcher at Louisiana State University. Many recent studies have found that exercise isn’t as important in helping people lose weight as you hear so regularly in gym advertisements or on shows like The Biggest Loser — or from magazines like this one.

1. From the passage we learn that ____.

A. some Americans join a health club but never go there  

B. the number of overweight people has doubled since 1993

C. more than 45 million Americans now go to the gym regularly

D. Americans waste too much money each year on sports

2. According to the passage, exercise ____.

A. has long been believed to be good for older adults

B. is not properly advertised as an effective way to lose weight

C. was first recognized as an effective way to lose weight in the 1960s

D. is less effective in preventing heart disease than what doctors believe

3. According to the writer, people might gain weight because ____.

A. they have the habit of going to the gym regularly

B. they eat the same food when they do not exercise

C. they exercise less than required by doctors

D. they eat more after they exercise

4. What may be the best title for this passage?

A. Overweight Is Not Good for Your Health  

B. Exercise Won’t Make You Thin 

C. Gym Is Part of American Lifestyle        

D. Obesity Is a Social Problem in America

 

 

Although many butterflies remain to be decreasing in the long run, last year three quarters of endangered species saw an increase in number, including some rare species.

Experts said the improvement in the butterflies’ fortunes was likely to be the result of effective action on protection, such as leaving open wetland in woods where flowers can grow, and better weather in 2010 after three damaging wet summers.

Dr Tom Brereton said butterflies are extremely sensitive to changes in the weather. Last year saw a warm summer for successful feeding, which helped a number of butterflies in some way.

He even said climate change could be benefiting some butterfly species but many other butterfly species suffer from it. For example, the mountain ringlet suffers as it needs cold climates. And at the same time, the change is too rapid for most to get used to.

In the long run butterfly numbers have continued to drop, with three quarters of the nearly 60 species found in Britain seeing numbers fall in recent decades and nearly half of them seriously threatened.

The Lulworth skipper, one of the UK’s rarest butterflies, had its worst year since 1976, and there are people worrying that changing the environment to benefit other species may be harming this kind of butterfly. Wild flowers have been grown in some places to help other butterflies but the Lulworth skipper needs long grass and wild areas. Meadow browns, the country’s most common species, also had the worst year on record. Some other kinds of butterflies also had a bad year.

However, in the short term many butterflies saw an increase in number in 2010 compared to 2009 levels.

  …

1.Which was a reason for the increase in the number of the butterflies last year?

A.The protection of humans.             B. A wet summer.

C.Changes in the butterflies’ habits.     D. The decrease in wetland in woods.

2.We can learn from Dr Tom Brereton’s words that       .

A.the mountain ringlet can quickly adapt to climate change

B.butterflies can help slow down climate change

C.climate change can be both beneficial and harmful to butterflies

D.other kinds of animals also suffer from climate change

3.What is most likely to be discussed in the following paragraph?

A.Why some butterflies decreased in number in 2010.

B.How to protect butterflies in the coming winter.

C.Effects of climate change on butterflies.

D.Examples of butterflies that have increased in number.

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A.Some butterflies in Britain have had a good year.

B.Butterflies in Britain have different habits.

C.Butterflies are well protected in Britain.

D.Butterflies are disappearing from Britain.