As we know, there are differences between western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used. Let’s look at the words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese about the dog, for example, “a homeless dog”, “a mad dog”, “a running dog” and “a dog catching a mouse”, have negative(消极的)meanings. But in western countries, dogs are thought to be honest and good friends of people. In English, people use the dog to describe positive(积极的)actions. For example, “you are a lucky dog” means you are a lucky person. And “every dog has its day” means each person has good 1uck one day. To describe a person’s serious illness, they say “sick as a dog”. The word “dog-tired” means very tired. However, Chinese love cats very much. But in western culture, “cat” is often used to describe a woman who is cruel(冷酷的). There are many other examples of how “cat” is used differently as well.
The rose(玫瑰)is thought of as a symbol of love in both China and some western countries. People think the rose stands for(代表)love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is the national flower of England, America and many other countries.
The words about plants and animals are used in positive or negative ways in different cultures. We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing(比较)how some words are used.
【小题1】The word “dog” in Chinese usually_________.

A．shows peace	B．stands for friendship
C．has a negative meaning	D．has a positive meaning

【小题2】“Every dog has its day” means “_________”.

A．each person lives his own way of life

B．if one works hard, he is sure to succeed

C．everybody in the world is lucky

D．everybody has a time in 1ife to be lucky

【小题3】Western people usually use “cat” to refer to(指代) “_________.”

A．a tired person	B．a brave man
C．a homeless person	D．an unkind woman

【小题4】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Words show differences in different cultures.

B．Chinese people like dogs better than cats.

C．Western people think of cats to be good friends.

D．Rose is the national flower of all western countries.

【小题5】What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Negative or Positive.

B．Different Countries Have Different Cultures.

C．Rose Means the Same in Chinese and English.

D．What Dog and Cat Mean in English.

Living in a foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing(令人迷惑的). A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences. They decided that miscommunications(沟通误解)were always possible, even over something as simple as “yes” and “no”.
On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific(太平洋), Lisa thought people weren’t paying any attention to her. The day was hot. She went into a store and asked, “Do you have cold drinks?” The woman there didn’t say anything. Lisa repeated the question. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her: She had raised her eyebrows(眉毛)，which in Micronesia means “yes”.
Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was famous for its cabbage. She asked the waiter, “Do you have cabbage today?” He nodded his head. Jan waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means “no”.
Tom had a similar problem when arrived in India. After explaining something in class, he asked his students if they understood. They answered with many different nods and shakes of the head. He thought some people had not understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, they did the same thing. He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake their heads in different ways depending on(依据)where they come from. You have to know where a person is from to understand whether they mean “yes” or “no”.
【小题1】The Americans teaching English in other countries found that they      .

A．should go abroad for vacations

B．needed to learn foreign languages

C．should often discuss their experiences

D．had problems with communications

【小题2】People in Micronesia show “yes” by          .

A．nodding heads

B．raising eyebrows

C．shaking heads

D．saying “no”

【小题3】Tom misunderstood（误解） his class at first because           .

A．he did not know much about Indian culture

B．he didn’t explain everything clearly enough

C．some students didn’t understand his questions

D．he didn’t know where the students came from

【小题4】Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?

A．In Bulgaria, nodding heads means “no”.

B．Jan taught English on a Pacific island.

C．Lisa was trying to buy some cabbage.

D．In India, only shaking heads means “yes”.

【小题5】The passage is mainly about          .

A．body language in foreign restaurants

B．class discussion in India schools

C．miscommunication in different cultures

D．English teaching in other countries

All around the world, people drink tea. But tea does not mean the same thing to everyone. In different countries people have very different ideas about drinking tea.
In China, for example, tea is always served when people get together. The Chinese drink it at any time of the day at homes or in teahouses. They like their tea with nothing else in it.
Tea is also important in Japan. The Japanese have a special way of serving tea called a tea ceremony(仪式). It is very old and full of meaning. There is even a special room for it in Japanese homes.
Another tea drinking country is England. In England, the late afternoon is teatime. Almost everyone has a cup of tea. The English usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with milk and sugar. They also eat cakes, cookies and little sandwiches at teatime.
In the United States people often drink tea for breakfast or after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make their tea. In summer, many Americans drink cold tea—“iced tea”. Sometimes they drink iced tea from cans, like soda(梳打).
【小题1】How many countries are there in the text to drink tea?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Five.

【小题2】 The Chinese always drink tea with _______ in it.

A．nothing

B．sugar

C．coffee

D．milk

【小题3】The _______ have a special way of serving tea called a tea ceremony.

A．Chinese

B．Americans

C．Japanese

D．English

【小题4】What time is the teatime in England?

A．The morning.	B．The afternoon.
C．The evening.	D．The late afternoon

【小题5】The text mainly tells us about _______.

A．tea drinking customs	B．people like drinking
C．tea is important	D．different countries

There is a saying that the British like a nice cup of tea in the morning and a nice cup of tea at night. And at half past seven, their idea of heaven is a nice cup of tea. They like a nice cup of tea with their dinner and a nice cup of tea time, and before they go to bed, there is a lot to be said about a nice cup of tea!

Sometime it seems that no one likes tea as much as the British does. But in fact, tea is liked in countries around the world. In China and Japan tea was first used as a medicine, many years later, people there drank tea as a beverage（饮料）.

People in the world like to drink different kinds of tea — green, black or red as some people call it. It is served in different ways. But they all know that drinking tea is good for one’s health.

1.The main idea of the first paragraph is ______.

A. how many cups of tea the British drink each day

B. that the British like talking about tea

C. that the British can’t live without drinking tea

D. that tea is very important in the life of the British

2.The phrase “their idea of heaven” means ______.

A. the happiest thing for them

B. their thoughts

C. their God

D. the worst thing for them

3.The sentence “there is a lot to be said about a nice cup of tea” means ______.

A. they enjoy drinking a nice cup of tea

B. there is a lot of tea

C. they talk much about a nice cup of tea

D. there is a talk while drinking tea

4.From the passage we know tea was used as a medicine in ______ many years ago

A. the world       B. British

C. many countries           D. China and Japan

5.This passage mainly tells us ______.

A. people in different countries like drinking different tea

B. something interesting about tea

C. how many kinds of tea there are in the world

D. drinking tea is good for our health

 

For several years, Americans have enjoyed teleshopping—watching TV and buying things by phone.Now teleshopping is starting in Europe (欧洲).In a number of European countries, people can turn on their TVs and shop for clothes, jewelry, food, toys, and many other things.

Teleshopping is becoming popular in Sweden, for example.The biggest Swedish company sells different kinds of things on TV in 15 European countries, and in one year it made ＄100 million.In France there are two teleshopping channels, and the French spend about ＄20 million a year to buy things through these channels.

In Germany, until last year teleshopping was only possible on one channel for 1 hour every day.Then the government allowed (允许) more telepshopping.Other channels can open for telebusiness, including (包括) the largest American teleshopping company and a 24?hour teleshopping company.German businessmen are hoping this new teleshopping will help them sell more things.

Some people like teleshopping because it allows them to do their shopping without leaving their homes .With all the problems of traffic in the cities, this is an important reason.But at the same time, other Europeans do not like this new way of shopping.They call teleshopping “junk (垃圾) on the air”.Many Europeans usually worry about the quality (质量) of the things for sale on TV.Good quality is important to them, and they believe they cannot be sure about the quality of the things on TV.

The need for high quality means that European teleshopping companies will have to be different from the American companies.They will have to be more careful about the quality of the things they sell.They will also have to work harder to sell things that the buyers cannot touch or see in person.

(   )11.Teleshopping is ____ in Europe.   

　　A.not popular    B.growing    C.not possible    D.cheap

(   )12.People like teleshopping because it is ____ .

　　A.American     B.cheaper     C.easier         D.more popular

(   )13.Some Europeans don't like teleshopping because they ____ .

A.don't like to buy things               

B.don't watch TV

C.believe the things sold on TV are expensive

D.think the things sold on TV are bad quality

(   )14.In Germany, teleshopping may ____ .

A.help businessmen get more money      B.keep the shops open longer

C.have fewer buyers                   D.bring better TV programmes

(   )15.The best title of this passage is ____ .

A.American Teleshopping           B.Teleshopping Companies

C.Teleshopping in Europe           D.Teleshopping—Junk on the Air