The way we do things round here
Some years ago, I was hired by an American bank. I received a letter from the head of the Personnel Department that started, “Dear John, I am quite pleased that you have decided to join us.” That “quite” saddened me. I thought he was saying “We’re kind of pleased you decided to join us although I wish we had hired someone else.” Then I discovered that in American English “quite” sometimes means “very”, while in British English it means “fairly”.
So the first lesson about working in other countries is to learn the language and by that I don’t just mean the words people speak. It is body language, dress, manners, ideas and so on. The way people do things highlights many of the differences we see between cultures.
Some of these differences may be only on the surface--- dress, food and hours of work--- while others may be deeper and take longer to deal with. Mostly, it is just a question of getting used to the differences and accepting them, like the climate (氣候), while getting on with business.
Some of the differences may be an improvement. People are more polite; the service is better; you ask for something to be done and it happens without having to ask again. However, other differences can be troubling, like punctuality (準(zhǔn)時(shí)). If you invite people to a party at 7 o’clock your guests will consider it polite to turn up exactly on time in Germany, five minutes early in the American Midwest, an hour early in Japan, 15 minutes afterwards in the UK, up to an hour afterwards in Italy and some time in the evening in Greece. I prefer not to use the word “l(fā)ate” because there is nothing wrong with the times people arrive. It is simply the accepted thing to do in their own country.
小題1:The author was unhappy as mentioned in Paragraph 1 because he thought _____.
A．the American bank didn’t think much of him
B．the American bank might hire another person
C．it’s difficult to get used to American culture
D．it’s easy to misunderstand Americans
小題2:The word “highlights” in Paragraph 2 probably means _______.
A．encouragesB．helps to narrowC．increasesD．draws attention to
小題3:According to the author, what should we do with most cultural differences?
A．Ask the native people for help.B．Understand and accept them.
C．Do things in our own way.D．Do in-depth research.
小題4:When invited to a party the people who are usually punctual（準(zhǔn)時(shí)的）are ______.
A．ItaliansB．GermansC．GreeksD．the British

小題1:A
小題2:D
小題3:B
小題4:B

試題解析：本文講述了作者通過(guò)自己的親身經(jīng)歷體會(huì)到的各國(guó)在文化、語(yǔ)言方面的差異，告訴我們一個(gè)道理：了解文化差異并且適應(yīng)和接受文化的差異。
小題1:事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。從文章第一段分析，作者對(duì)于“quite”一詞的理解偏差導(dǎo)致了作者心情不愉快。因?yàn)樽髡哒J(rèn)為這家美國(guó)銀行并沒(méi)有器重他。故選 A。
小題2:猜測(cè)詞義題。由文章第二段可知，無(wú)論我們說(shuō)話(huà)還是做事，必須要注意我們文化之間的差異性。many of the differences we see between cultures 就是我們要注意的內(nèi)容。highlight 本意“強(qiáng)調(diào)”，此處表示“注意”。故選 D。
小題3:推理判斷題。由文章第三段信息句 Mostly， is just a question of getting used to the differences and itaccepting them，like the climate，while getting on with business.可知，適應(yīng)文化差異就像在外出差適應(yīng)當(dāng)?shù)氐臍夂蛞粯樱瑢W(xué)會(huì)適應(yīng)和接受。故本題選 B。
小題4:事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。由第四段信息句 If you invite people to a party at 7 oclock your guests will consider itpolite to turn up exactly on time in Germany 可知，德國(guó)人是最準(zhǔn)時(shí)的人。故選 B。
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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小題1: This passage is mainly
A  a general review of Jazz music.
B  a biography of Benny Goodman.
C  about the origin of American folk music.
D  about how jazz became popular in America.
小題2:  Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A  The band?s first music show in Los Angles was an immediate success.
B  Goodman is considered the father of Jazz music.
C  Benny Goodman was unknown to public when he left New York.
D  The band scheduled to play waltzes, tangos and novelty numbers at a dance hall in Denver.
小題3: It could be inferred from the passage that
A  Jazz is a style of music native to America.
B  Classic music had become outdated at Goodman?s time.
C  Morton and Goodman were contemporaries.
D  Goodman was the first bandleader who hired Black musicians in 1930s.
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B  to get rid of a problem.
D  to point out, designate.
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C  regretting mind.  D  exaggerated tone.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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A．the American South．B．Africa．
C．Chicago．D．Asia．
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A．used banjos．B．were sung in church．
C．included call and response singing．D．expressed sadness．
小題3:A typical blues Stanza is made up of____．
A．three lines．B．a(chǎn) harmonica．
C．a(chǎn) driving beat．D．four lines．
小題4:One can conclude from the passage that the blues ___．
A．would have widespread without the juke joints of the Mississippi．
B．served as a form of communication and self-expression．
C．was successful only in the American South．
D．there were only greatest blues man performed in these clubs．
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A．the South was too hot in summer．
B．they liked the Chicago blues．
C．there were more jobs there．
D．they wanted to create a new music style．

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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The holiday began as a German tradition in 18th century and became even more of a cultural phenomenon after the 1993 film Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray.
Punxsutawney Phil has become a celebrity in his own right.  Each year, the fatter animal with long teeth is watched by millions as he emerges from a cave in the town he is named after. Phil has become so beloved by the town that he actually lives in the local library with his “wife" Phyllis.
Taking inspiration from the hard state of Bill Murray’s character in the classic film, Yahoo contributor Owen Rust says Groundhog Day is a good time to reflect on one’s routines.
小題1:The underlined word “pops” means “        ”.
A．escapesB．a(chǎn)ppearsC．increasesD．hides
小題2:The reason why Phil's predictions aren't pleasing is that_____________.
A．some of the predictions were unavailable
B．Phil wants to do that for fun
C．Phil likes to make unpleasant predictions
D．he has predicted more late springs
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A．By an accident.
B．From people's life improving.
C．By his own attractive force
D．From much money raised by the town.
小題4:Which does this passage mainly talk about?
A．The National Climate Data Center
B．A German tradition
C．A tongue-twisting small town
D．Groundhog Day weather forecasting

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