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Many years ago, a rich man found that someone wan taking valuable things from his house. He locked all the doors and all the windows .Still the things went. It must be one of the servants! How could he catch the servant? He thought of a good plan.

Late one evening. When it was dark, he called all the servants together, “There is a thief in the house, but I know how to catch him.”He said.”In the next room there is a square box. In that box there is a chicken which is magic. Each of you must go into the room alone. It is quite dark in the room. You must feel your way to the table and press the first finger of your right hand on the top of the box. If you are not the thief, nothing will happen. If you are the thief, the chicken will make such a loud sound that everyone in the house will hear it.”Some of the servants said that they did not want to do this. They were frightened of the magic chicken. But the man said that they must do what he said. If they had done nothing wrong. They had nothing to fear.

So the servants went into the dark room one at a time, while the rest listened carefully. Soon everyone had been in the room. but the chicken made no sound.”Good “said the man.”Now I know who the thief is! The servants looked very surprised.“Show me your right hands! The chicken did not make a sound for a very good reason. There is no chicken in the box at all! But the top of the box was covered with paint. You all have paint on your fingers, except for one person. That person is the thief, and he was afraid to put his finger on the box.”He pointed to one of the servants.”Your finger is clean! You are the thief!”

1.Were the rich man call all the servants together?

A. Yes, they were.  B. No, they weren’t.   C.I don’t know.

2.When did the rich man call all the servants together?

A. In the morning B. In the afternoon C. In the evening

3.Did the rich man catch the thief at last?

A. Yes, he did B. No, he didn’t   C. He gave up the plan

4.Which of the following is NOT true?

A. There was paint on the box.

B. All of the servants touched the box.

C. All of the servants went into the dark room.

5.What do you think of the rich man?

A. Brave.   B. Clever   C. Friendly.

Many years ago, a rich man found that someone wan taking valuable things from his house. He locked all the doors and all the windows .Still the things went. It must be one of the servants! How could he catch the servant? He thought of a good plan.

Late one evening. When it was dark, he called all the servants together, “There is a thief in the house, but I know how to catch him.”He said.”In the next room there is a square box. In that box there is a chicken which is magic. Each of you must go into the room alone. It is quite dark in the room. You must feel your way to the table and press the first finger of your right hand on the top of the box. If you are not the thief, nothing will happen. If you are the thief, the chicken will make such a loud sound that everyone in the house will hear it.”Some of the servants said that they did not want to do this. They were frightened of the magic chicken. But the man said that they must do what he said. If they had done nothing wrong. They had nothing to fear.

So the servants went into the dark room one at a time, while the rest listened carefully. Soon everyone had been in the room. but the chicken made no sound.”Good “said the man.”Now I know who the thief is! The servants looked very surprised.“Show me your right hands! The chicken did not make a sound for a very good reason. There is no chicken in the box at all! But the top of the box was covered with paint. You all have paint on your fingers, except for one person. That person is the thief, and he was afraid to put his finger on the box.”He pointed to one of the servants.”Your finger is clean! You are the thief!”

1.Were the rich man call all the servants together?

A. Yes, they were.  B. No, they weren’t.   C.I don’t know.

2.When did the rich man call all the servants together?

A. In the morning B. In the afternoon C. In the evening

3. Did the rich man catch the thief at last?

A. Yes, he did B. No, he didn’t   C. He gave up the plan

4. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. There was paint on the box.

B. All of the servants touched the box.

C. All of the servants went into the dark room

5. What do you think of the rich man?

A. Brave.   B. Clever   C. Friendly.

Close contacts between Japan and the rest of the world were created in the twentieth century. In the last forty years, business contacts between Japan and the West have become very important. Many foreign companies now have offices in Japan and Japanese businessmen do business around the world. Differences between Japanese and Western ways of doing business, however, often bewilder foreign businessmen and make doing business in Japan difficult for foreigners.
The American businessman, for example, wants to start talking business immediately. He does not want to wait. The Japanese businessman, on the other hand, likes to arrive at decisions after giving them serious thought. Another thing foreign businessmen have difficulty in understanding is when a Japanese means “Yes” or “No”. This is because of cultural differences between Japanese and Western society(社会), Which make it difficult for a Japanese to say “No” directly.
In the USA, it is easy to say “No” to something one does not want to do. But in Japan, it is very difficult to say “No”. To refuse an invitation or a request(请求) with “No” is felt to be impolite. It is thought to be selfish and unfriendly. So instead of saying “No” directly, the Japanese have developed many ways to avoid(避免) saying “No”. These can help them avoid hurting other people’s feelings. However, this often makes their ways of doing business rather difficult for foreigners to understand and follow.
【小题1】What often makes foreigners feel difficult to do business in Japan?

Many years ago, a rich man found that someone wan taking valuable things from his house. He locked all the doors and all the windows .Still the things went. It must be one of the servants! How could he catch the servant? He thought of a good plan.
Late one evening. When it was dark, he called all the servants together, “There is a thief in the house, but I know how to catch him.”He said.”In the next room there is a square box. In that box there is a chicken which is magic. Each of you must go into the room alone. It is quite dark in the room. You must feel your way to the table and press the first finger of your right hand on the top of the box. If you are not the thief, nothing will happen. If you are the thief, the chicken will make such a loud sound that everyone in the house will hear it.”Some of the servants said that they did not want to do this. They were frightened of the magic chicken. But the man said that they must do what he said. If they had done nothing wrong. They had nothing to fear.
So the servants went into the dark room one at a time, while the rest listened carefully. Soon everyone had been in the room. but the chicken made no sound.”Good “said the man.”Now I know who the thief is! The servants looked very surprised.“Show me your right hands! The chicken did not make a sound for a very good reason. There is no chicken in the box at all! But the top of the box was covered with paint. You all have paint on your fingers, except for one person. That person is the thief, and he was afraid to put his finger on the box.”He pointed to one of the servants.”Your finger is clean! You are the thief!”
【小题1】Were the rich man call all the servants together?
A. Yes, they were.  B. No, they weren’t.   C.I don’t know.
【小题2】When did the rich man call all the servants together?
A. In the morning B. In the afternoon C. In the evening
【小题3】 Did the rich man catch the thief at last?
A. Yes, he did B. No, he didn’t   C. He gave up the plan
【小题4】 Which of the following is NOT true?
A. There was paint on the box.
B. All of the servants touched the box.
C. All of the servants went into the dark room
【小题5】 What do you think of the rich man?
A. Brave.   B. Clever   C. Friendly.