When I was a foreign teacher in China, every day I taught English to my students and they taught me about China. One day the topic turned to saying “ I love you”. I was shocked to learn that not one of my students has said this to their mothers, nor had their mothers said it to them. “Does your mother love you?” “ Of course,” they answered.

“ How do you know?” was my logical question. They responded that their moms cooked and always told them what they were doing wrong to show their caring. I was stunned. So mom’s cooking and criticizing read out as “I love you”. “Then do you say‘I love you’to her?” They agreed that getting good grades, followed by good jobs would be how they showed their love.

I come from a culture where most people are expressive enough, so I repeated these questions in classes over time. Gradually, I began to get different responses. Some of them had exchanged those sentiments with their moms.

One of my favourite stories of change came from a girl. When she came home from university, her mother met her at the door and hugged her. This had never happened before, but her mom said, “ Now that you have gone, I have more time to myself. I noticed that in some places mothers and children hug each other and decided it was a good idea and that I would begin hugging you.”

In my family we all say “I love you” a lot. While it is true that we often say the words without having great depth of feelings at that moment, it is almost like a blessing we give each other. Those three words carry a world of meaning, even when said as a greeting, but most especially if they are the last words we say to or hear from those we love.

1. Chinese people prefer to show love by __________.

A. saying “I love you”      B. cooking

C. getting good grades      D. doing something helpful

2. The underlined word “stunned” mean________ in Chinese.

A. 好笑       B.难受   C. 震惊       D. 有趣

3. In paragraph 4, what’s the real meaning of the mom’s hugging?

A. She is meeting her daughter at the door.

B. She loves her daughter and misses her.

C. She is glad that she has more time to herself.

D. She finds it interesting to hug her daughter.

4. Which of the following statements is RIGHT?

A. Chinese people never show love to their mothers.

B. Chinese students express love to their mothers by studying hard and trying to get good jobs.

C. In foreign countries people have great depth of feelings to say “I love you”.

D. People from different countries will never understand each other.

5. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. Say “I love you” more to your family.

B. Say “I love you” a lot to Chinese people.

C. Say “I love you” as a greeting to others.

D. Say “I love you” without great depth of feelings.

When I was a foreign teacher in China, every day I taught English to my students and they taught me about China. One day the topic turned to saying “ I love you”. I was shocked to learn that not one of my students has said this to their mothers, nor had their mothers said it to them. “Does your mother love you?” “ Of course,” they answered.
“ How do you know?” was my logical question. They responded that their moms cooked and always told them what they were doing wrong to show their caring. I was stunned. So mom’s cooking and criticizing read out as “I love you”. “Then do you say‘I love you’to her?” They agreed that getting good grades, followed by good jobs would be how they showed their love.
I come from a culture where most people are expressive enough, so I repeated these questions in classes over time. Gradually, I began to get different responses. Some of them had exchanged those sentiments with their moms.
One of my favourite stories of change came from a girl. When she came home from university, her mother met her at the door and hugged her. This had never happened before, but her mom said, “ Now that you have gone, I have more time to myself. I noticed that in some places mothers and children hug each other and decided it was a good idea and that I would begin hugging you.”
In my family we all say “I love you” a lot. While it is true that we often say the words without having great depth of feelings at that moment, it is almost like a blessing we give each other. Those three words carry a world of meaning, even when said as a greeting, but most especially if they are the last words we say to or hear from those we love.
【小题1】 Chinese people prefer to show love by __________.

Introduction :

     Speaking English is not only about using proper grammar. To use English correctly, you need to understand the culture in which it is spoken. Here are a number of important tips (告诫)  to remember when speaking English in the USA.

General Points to Remember

   Most Americans only speak English:

While it is true that more and more Americans

speak Spanish, most Americans only speak

English.

  Americans have difficulty understanding

foreign accents (口音): Many Americans are

not used to foreign accents.

Conversation Tips

      Speak about location.

  Talk about work: Americans commonly ask "what do you do?" It's not thought impolite (as in some countries)  and is a popular topic to discuss between strangers.

     Talk about sports.

Addressing (称呼) People

   Use last names with people you do not know. Always use "Ms" when addressing women. Many Americans prefer first names.

   Americans prefer informal: In general,

Americans prefer informal greetings and using

first names or nicknames when speaking with workmates and friends.

Public Behavior

     Always shake hands.

     Look your partner in the eyes.

     Don't hold hands: Same sex friends do not usually hold hands or put their arms around each other in public in the USA.

      Smoking is out! Smoking, even in public places, is strongly disagreed by most modern Americans.

     55.  What is necessary to know when we speak English besides using grammar?

         A. Introduction.       B. The culture.       C. Grammar.        D. Topics.

     56.  If you are introduced to a woman called Pearl S. Buck,  how should you address her usually?

         A. Mrs. Pearl.        B. Miss Pearls.     C. Ms Buck.        D. Madam Buck.

     57.  We can learn from the text that________

         A. Americans shake hands when greeting same sex friends

         B. when you speak to others, it's polite to look into their eyes

         C. different sex friends should hold hands when first meeting

         D. smoking is allowed in the modem United States

     58.  What would be the best title for the text?

         A. American English Tips                   B. Language Differences

         C. The Different Language Culture            D. American Customs