Sometimes people add to what they say even when they don’t talk. Gestures are the “silent language” of every culture. We point a finger or move another part of the body to show what we want to say．It is important to know the body language of every country or we may be misunderstood.
In the United States，people greet each other with a handshake in a formal introduction．The handshake must be firm．If the handshake is weak，it is a sign of weakness or unfriendliness．Friends may place a hand on the other’s arm or shoulder．Some people，usually women，greet a friend with a hug（拥抱）．
Space is important to Americans．When two people talk to each other，they usually stand about two and a half feet away and at an angle，so they are not facing each other directly．Americans get uncomfortable when a person stands too close．They will move back to have their space．If Americans touch another person by accident，they say “Pardon me” or “Excuse me”．
Americans like to look at the other person in the eyes when they are talking．If you don’t do so，it means you are bored，hiding something，or are not interested．But when you stare at someone，it is not polite．
For Americans，thumbs-up means yes，very good，or well done．Thumbs-down means the opposite．To call a waiter，raise one hand to head level or above．To show you want the check，make a movement with your hands as if you are signing a piece of paper．It is all right to point at things but not at people with the hand and index finger（食指）．Americans shake their index finger at children when they scold them and pat them on the head when they admire them．
Learning a culture’s body language is sometimes confusing（使糊涂的）．If you don’t know what to do，the safest thing to do is to smile．
【小题1】From the first paragraph we can learn that ________．

At railway stations all across Britain next week, groups of students will gather with their backpacks to wait for the trains that will carry them home for Christmas. This is as large a movement of human beings as before, but with more contradictory traffic flows, so that trains filled with the young pass each other travelling in every direction.

At first, I went home every weekend with my washing, but then those visits became less regular. How did I let my parents know I was coming? They had no phone. Perhaps I wrote to them ("Expect me with dirty shirts this Friday afternoon"), but more likely I didn't let them know, and just turned up or didn't turn up, not understanding that my parents' dashed hopes of seeing me were a greater casualty of my carelessness than a spoiled tea.

And in all this I suspect I was typical, at least of young men. As for our fathers and mothers, none of them talked of "empty-nest syndrome", even though its implication that the principal human duty is to protect and feed the young would have suited their generation better than ours. Then, the feelings of loss went without a name. Today, it's a condition with remedies, which will make parents feel more enjoyable in their life. The Mayo Clinic, for example, suggests you try to maintain regular contact with your children through "visits, phone calls, emails, texts or video chats". If you feel depressed, lean on loved ones or your mental health provider. Above all, stay positive: "Thinking about the extra time and energy you might have to devote to your marriage or personal interests after your last child leaves home might help you adapt to this major life change."

What can’t be denied, however, is that children often leave home. In modern societies, this is what they do. Christmas is the very time they can be depended on to return. For the non-religious, that may be this season’s true comfort and significance.

1.The main reason for the busy traffic across Britain next week is that         .

A．young students will travel home for Christmas

B．young people will travel in every direction

C．it is a large movement of human beings

D．the traffic flows will be more contradictory

2.From the second paragraph we can learn that the writer      .

A．went home every week to wash dirty clothes

B．understood his parents’ desire of seeing him

C．didn’t understand his parents’ feelings

D．went home to see his parents regularly

3.The underlined word “remedies” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to          .

A．reasons           B．excuses           C．habits            D．solutions

4.From the last paragraph we know that        .

A．in modern society, children should leave home

B．Christmas is likely a time for family reunion

C．the significance of Christmas is celebration

D．Christmas is not a comfort for the non-religious

5.From the passage we can infer that by writing the article the writer’s purpose is to       .

A．persuade the young to show concern for their parents

B．ask the young to go home regularly

C．make the young understand their parents’ interests

D．enable the young to be more independent

Few of us make money by losing sleep．But three graduate students at Brown University in Providence built a company around sleep deprivation （睡眠不足）．
Jason Donahue, Ben Rubin and Eric Shashoua were working late nights in Brown's business and engineering schools．They began thinking about ways to sleep better．They discovered they weren't alone in burning the midnight oil．Around 20% of Americans get less than six hours of rest a night．
The friends imagined a smart alarm clock that could track how much time people spend in the most restorative （有回复作用的） stages of the sleep cycle: REM （rapid eye movement） and deep sleep．What would it cost to design such a thing? Five years of research, 20 employees, $14 million and a whole lot of doubting from investors and scientists．
Their company, Zeo, based in Newton, Mass, launched its product in June, 2009．The Zeo device uses a headband with tiny sensors （传感器） that scan your brain for signs of four sleep states- REM, light, deep and waking sleep．The smart alarm clock displays a graph of your sleep pattern and wakes you as you're not in REM sleep （which is when you're least groggy）．In the morning you can upload the data to the company's Web site, and so track your sleep over time．Most of the feedback comes in the form of Zeo's ZQ score showing how well you've slept．
"Zeo allows people to unlock this black box of sleep," says Dave Dickinson, a health-care CEO．
Whether any of this actually improves sleep is up to the consumer, who will also need to make lifestyle changes like cutting out alcohol before bedtime or caffeine after 3 pm．
For now the company is selling Zeo online only．Dickinson also plans to spread it to countries such as Australia, where sleep deprivation approaches US levels．
【小题1】Who will support Zeo?

A．People full of imagination．	B．People suffering sleeping problems．
C．People having access to the Internet．	D．People having bad lifestyles．

Few of us make money by losing sleep．But three graduate students at Brown University in Providence built a company around sleep deprivation （睡眠不足）．

       Jason Donahue, Ben Rubin and Eric Shashoua were working late nights in Brown's business and engineering schools．They began thinking about ways to sleep better．They discovered they weren't alone in burning the midnight oil．Around 20% of Americans get less than six hours of rest a night．

       The friends imagined a smart alarm clock that could track how much time people spend in the most restorative （有回复作用的） stages of the sleep cycle: REM （rapid eye movement） and deep sleep．What would it cost to design such a thing? Five years of research, 20 employees, $14 million and a whole lot of doubting from investors and scientists．

       Their company, Zeo, based in Newton, Mass, launched its product in June, 2009．The Zeo device uses a headband with tiny sensors （传感器） that scan your brain for signs of four sleep states- REM, light, deep and waking sleep．The smart alarm clock displays a graph of your sleep pattern and wakes you as you're not in REM sleep （which is when you're least groggy）．In the morning you can upload the data to the company's Web site, and so track your sleep over time．Most of the feedback comes in the form of Zeo's ZQ score showing how well you've slept．

       "Zeo allows people to unlock this black box of sleep," says Dave Dickinson, a health-care CEO．

       Whether any of this actually improves sleep is up to the consumer, who will also need to make lifestyle changes like cutting out alcohol before bedtime or caffeine after 3 pm．

       For now the company is selling Zeo online only．Dickinson also plans to spread it to countries such as Australia, where sleep deprivation approaches US levels．

Who will support Zeo?

       A．People full of imagination．          B．People suffering sleeping problems．

       C．People having access to the Internet． D．People having bad lifestyles．

Why did the three graduate students imagine a smart alarm clock?

       A．To wake them up on time in the morning．

       B．To earn enough money for their study．

       C．To improve the quality of people's sleep．

       D．To enjoy their life while working at night．

To design the Zeo device, the three graduate students ____．

       A．spent much time and money           B．were widely supported by scientists

       C．worked by themselves all the time       D．attracted many investors

What can we know from the passage?

       A．Zeo has a direct effect on users' lifestyles．

       B．It needs more personal efforts to make Zeo function better．

       C．A large quantity of Zeo devices have been sold in Australia．

       D．Consumers can go to the Zeo company to purchase Zeo in person．

Sometimes people add to what they say even when they don't talk.Gestures are the "silent language" of every culture.We point a finger or move another part of the body to show what we want to say.It is important to know the body language of every country or we may be misunderstood.
In the United States,people greet each other with a handshake in a formal introduction.The handshake must be firm.If the handshake is weak,it is a sign of weakness or unfriendliness.Friends may place a hand on the other's arm or shoulder,some people,usually women,greet a friend with a hug(拥抱).
Space is important to Americans.When two people talk to each other,they usually stand about two and a half feet away and at an angle,so they are not facing each other directly.Americans get uncomfortable when a person stands too close.They will move back to have their space.If Americans touch another person by accident,they say,"Pardon me." or "Excuse me."Americans like to look at the other person in the eyes when they are talking.If you don't do so,it means you are bored,hiding something,or are not interested.But when you stare at someone,it is not polite.
For Americans,thumbs-up;means yes,very good,or well done.Thumbs-down means the opposite.To call a waiter,raise one hand to head level or above.To show you want the check,make a movement with your hands as if you are singing a piece of paper.It is all right to point at things but not at people with the hand and index finger.Americans shake their index finger at children when they scold them and pat them on the head when they admire them.
Learning a culture's body language is sometimes confusing(困惑的).If you don't know what to do,the safest thing to do is to smile.
45.From the first paragraph we can learn that_________.
A.gestures don't mean anything while talking
B.gestures can help us to express ourselves
C.we can learn a language well without body language
D.only American people can use gestures
46.In the United States,people often_________.
A.show their friendship by facing each other directly
B.show their friendship by touching each other
C.say "Pardon me." to each other when they are talking
D.get uncomfortable when you sit close to them
47.If you talk with an American friend,it's polite to_________.
A.look up and down at your friend
B.look at the other person in the eyes
C.hide your opinion
D.look at your watch now and then
48.When your friend gives you the thumbs-up,he,in fact,_________.
A.shows his rudeness to you
B.shows his anger to you
C.expresses his satisfaction to you
D.expresses his worries about you