If you stay in an Indian home, bring something from your home country as a gift. Although it is not expected, it would be much pleasant. But find out the social position and religion of your hosts before you choose the gift.  A bottle of foreign whisky would be the perfect gift for some, and not at all suitable for others.  If you know the people you are going to stay with, it is a good idea to ask them what they would like.  Some things are just not available in India.

It is not necessary to bring a gift when you are invited to dinner. After all, you are the honored guest. Several years ago, it was almost unpleasant to bring sweets or a bottle of wine.  But this is not true today.  Nowadays it is a custom which is becoming popular with many Indians.  Fruit, flowers or a box of sweets are perfect gifts, and will make no one unhappy.

In all classes of society, both in the city and in the country, food is only taken to the mouth with the right hand. This is the most important part of the etiquette of eating in India. When you watch Indians eat something, you will see that they keep their left hands on their legs.

If you want to find a conversation topic in India, talk about families. Another useful subject to start with is cricket.  But once you get to know a person better, any topic is acceptable. Indians love to talk about politics and religion. They enjoy heated discussions. Conversation is an art form and people take the time to really talk.

1．If you are invited for a meal at an Indian home,       .

A．you should offer to pay for the food

B．you will hurt your hosts if you take anything

C．it is fashionable to take flowers or sweets 

D．it is traditional to take whisky

2．Indians love interesting topics and they          .

A．only talk about family matters          B．prefer to have heated discussions

C．don’t like talking about themselves      D．get away from religion and politics

3．The underlined part in the first paragraph means         .

A．you can buy these things easily in India

B．they don’t make these things in India

          C．they never avoid these things in India

D．you can’t get these things in India

4．According to the passage, all of the following are true except that         .

A．your choice of gift will depend on who your hosts are

B．playing cricket with left hand is popular in India

C．Indians normally use their right hand for food they eat

D．Indians like to talk about serious things with guests

I was in line waiting to pay. In line there were two people before me. A little boy was buying some rather strange clothes. He chatted with anyone who was interested in the clothes and soon we learnt that he was going to a kindergarten(幼儿园) party. He had done a great job of putting together interesting costumes.
I noticed that the little boy was paying mostly with change(零钱). It seemed that he had robbed his pig bank(猪形储蓄罐) to do this shopping. However, the cashier told him he was short after counting all the money. The boy thought for a moment and said, “Please keep the shirt and I will come back with more money. “
It was clear that he had already used all the money he had and he was $ 8.00 short. The lady in front of me said, “Well, I could pay half of that. “I told the boy that I could pay the other half. We dug into our handbags. However, both of us only had ten-dollar bills(纸币) and we needed the cashier to get the change for us. Other shoppers began digging into their pockets to find some change. It was amazing and touching as all these strangers seemed to react(反应) with the same mind. All wanted to be of help. Within minutes the cashier said, “I have too much money.” The cashier didn’t need our ten-dollar bills. Then the lady in front of me, who had been the first to offer help, said, “Wait! I didn’t even get a chance to give anything!”
I smiled at her and said, “You did your share, because it was your idea and you started all this. “ The little boy smiled and thanked us. We wished him the best and he left. I was left with a good feeling. I had seen the love and goodness of others all around me. The woman in front of me smiled and said, “It sure feels good to give, doesn’t it?” I smiled back and said, “Yes !”
【小题1】What is this passage mainly about?