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 the 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, 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.

50. 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

51. The word “highlight” in Paragraph 2 probably means____________.

A. encourages  B. helps to narrow     C. increases    D. draws attention to

52. 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 your own way

D. Do in-depth research

53. When invited to a party the people who are usually punctual are__________.

A. Italians       B. Germans       C. Greeks        D. The British

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

People who have lost the ability to understand or use words due to brain damage are called aphasics(失語癥患者).Such patients can be extremely good at something else.From the changing expressions on speakers’ faces and the tones of their voices,they can tell lies from truths.

Doctors studying the human brain have given a number of examples of this amazing power of aphasics.Some have even compared this power to that of a dog with an ability to find out the drugs hidden in the baggage.

Recently,scientists carried out tests to see if all that was said about aphasics was true.THEY STUDIED A MIXED GROUP OF PEOPLE.Some were normal;others were aphasics.It was proved that the aphasics were far ahead of the normal people in recognizing false speeches—in most cases,the normal people were fooled by words,but the aphasics were not.

Some years ago,Dr.Oliver Sacks wrote in his book about his experiences with aphasics.He mentioned a particular case in a hospital.Some aphasics were watching the president giving a speech on TV.Since the president had been an actor earlier,making a good speech was no problem for him.He was trying to put his feelings into every word of his speech.

But his way of speaking had the opposite effect on the patients.They didn’t seem to believe him.Instead,they burst into laughter.The aphasics knew that the president did not mean a word of what he was saying.He was lying!

Many doctors see aphasics as people who are not completely normal because they lack the ability to understand words.However,according to Dr.Sacks,they are more gifted than normal people.Normal people may get carried away by words.Aphasics seem to understand human expressions better,though they cannot understand words.

What is so surprising about aphasics?

A.They can fool other people.                                   B.They can find out the hidden drugs.

C.They can understand language better.               D.They can tell whether people are lying.

How did the scientists study aphasics?

A.By asking them to watch TV together.

B.By organizing them into acting groups.

C.By comparing them with normal people.

D.By giving them chances to speak on TV.

What do we learn from this text?

A.What one says reflects how one feels.

B.Aphasics have richer feelings than others.

C.Normal people often tell lies in their speeches.

D.People poor at one thing can be good at another.

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科目：高中英語 來源：2012-2013學(xué)年遼寧省五校協(xié)作體高二上學(xué)期聯(lián)合競賽英語試卷（帶解析） 題型：完型填空

Some years ago I was offered a writing assignment that would require three months of travel through Europe．I had been abroad a couple of times， 36 I could hardly claim to know my way around the continent．Moreover， my  37 of foreign languages was  38 to a little college French．
I  39 ．How would I，unable to speak the language and totally  40 with local geography or transportation systems，  41 interviews and do research? It seemed  42 ，and with much regret I sat down to write a letter begging  43 ．Halfway through，a thought ran through my mind：you can’t learn if you don’t  44 ．So I accepted the assignment.
There were some bad news. But by the time I had  45 the trip I was an experienced 46 ．And ever since，I have never hesitated to  47 for even the most remote places，without guides or even  48 bookings，confident that somehow I will  49 .
The point is that the new，the  50 ，is almost by definition scary．But each time you try  51 ，you learn，and as the learning piles up，the world  52 to you.
I’ve  53 to ski at 40，and flown up the Rhine River in a balloon．And I know I’ll go on doing such things．It’s not because I’m  54 or more daring than others. I’m not. But I’ll accept anxiety as another name for  55 and I believe I can accomplish wonders．

【小題1】
A．thoughB．a(chǎn)ndC．butD．since
【小題2】
A．knowledgeB．viewC．targetD．experience
【小題3】
A．forcedB．limitedC．reducedD．increased
【小題4】
A．leftB．doubtedC．pausedD．hesitated
【小題5】A. occupied     B. unfamiliar    C: mixed    D. popular
【小題6】
A．get upB．put upC．set upD．cheer up
【小題7】
A．impossibleB．possibleC．easyD．disturbing
【小題8】
A．a(chǎn)wayB．downC．offD．for
【小題9】
A．a(chǎn)skB．tryC．practiceD．a(chǎn)ccept
【小題10】
A．finishedB．startedC．reservedD．cancelled
【小題11】
A．travelerB．reporterC．writerD．thinker
【小題12】
A．takeB．headC．makeD．change
【小題13】
A．carefulB．freeC．professionalD．a(chǎn)dvanced
【小題14】
A．loseB．winC．manageD．remember
【小題15】
A．differentB．sameC．oldD．bad
【小題16】
A．nothingB．somethingC．a(chǎn)nythingD．everything
【小題17】
A．sticksB．comesC．opensD．drinks
【小題18】
A．learnedB．hopedC．forgottenD．a(chǎn)ttempted
【小題19】
A．weakerB．braverC．worseD．luckier
【小題20】
A．troubleB．failureC．victoryD．challenge

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科目：高中英語 來源：浙江省嘉興一中2009-2010學(xué)年高一5月月考試題（英語） 題型：閱讀理解


I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died “ full of years”, as the Bible would say. Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence(吊唁) calls on the two families on the same afternoon.
At the first home, the son of the deceased(已故的)woman said to me, “ If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It’s my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “ If only I hadn’t insisted on my mother’s going to Florida, she would be alive today.That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate, was more than she could take. It’s my fault that she’s dead.”
You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out bad, they believe that the opposite course—keeping Mother at home, putting off the operation—would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?
There seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens that leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.
The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens , especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believe that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.
A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to its tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him , and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.
1. What is said about the two deceased elderly women?
A. They lived out a natural life.
B. They died of exhaustion after the long plane ride.
C. They weren’t used to the change in weather.
D. They died due to lack of care by family members.
2. The author had to conduct the two women’s funerals probably because ______.
A. he wanted to comfort the two families
B. he was an official from the community
C. he had great pity for the deceased
D. he was minister of the local church
3. People feel guilty for the deaths of their loved ones because _____.
A. they couldn’t find a better way to express their sorrow
B. they believe that they were responsible
C. they had neglected the natural course of events
D. they didn’t know things often turn in the opposite direction
4. According to the passage, the underlined part in paragraph 4 probably means that_____.
A. everything in the world is predetermined
B. the world can be explained in different ways
C. there is an explanation for everything in the world
D. we have to be sensible in order to understand the world
5. What’s the idea of the passage?
A. Life and death is an unsolved mystery.
B. Every story should have a happy ending.
C. Never feel guilty all the time because not every disaster is our fault.
D. In general, the survivors will feel guilty about the people who passed away.

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科目：高中英語 來源：2010年江蘇省高一下學(xué)期期中考試英語 題型：閱讀理解

Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.

Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet ripe（成熟） or finished. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns(角) had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.

Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.

The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.

Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello”. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay rise and she does not.

1.Greenhorn now refers to ____.

     A. a person who is new in a job        B. a new solider       C. a young horse      D. a thumb

2.A person who has a green thumb is a person ____.

     A. whose garden is greener than others’                        B. whose thumbs are in green color

     C. who is good at growing plants                         D. who is younger than his neighbors

3.The author is actually talking about ____.

     A. colors                              B. language                 C. politics                            D. agriculture 

4. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

     A. In about the 16th century, a greenhorn meant an experienced soldier

     B. The Green Revolution may have some connection with green thumbs

     C. The green-eyed monster was probably created by William Shakespeare

     D. The green-eyed monster can be used to describe a person who is jealous

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：20102011遼寧開原高中高二第二學(xué)期第二次月考英語試題 題型：閱讀理解

Some years ago, a Miami woman walking through an office building noticed two men standing together．Several minutes after her leaving, the men murdered a person working in the building．The police determined that the woman was the only witness and could possibly describe them．However, her memory of the men proved disappointingly unclear．Several days later, psychologist Ronald Fisher was brought in to obtain a more complete account from the woman．His interview produced a breakthrough—the woman reported a clear picture of one of the suspects．The important information enabled the police to arrest the suspect and close the case．

         The police asked Fisher for help because of his rich knowledge in cognitive (認(rèn)知) interview, a kind of memory-rebuilding process．Memory researchers have found that people trying to remember a past event often only recall part of the relevant information．Human memory is selective and it is often distorted by stress．But a person's accurate recall of an event or understanding of a question can be improved using specific interviewing techniques．The "cognitive interview" was developed in the late 1990s．It encourages the witness to take an active role in recalling information rather than giving answers only to someone else's questions．The witness first describes what happened in his or her own words, with no interviewer interruptions．The interviewer then goes further with specific techniques, such as having the witness tell the details of what happened from different perspectives（角度）.

         The cognitive interview focuses on guiding witnesses through four general recalling techniques: thinking about physical surroundings and personal feelings that existed at the time of past events; reporting everything that comes to mind about those events, no matter how broken it is retelling events in a variety of time orders, such as from beginning to end, end to beginning, forward or backward; and adopting different perspectives while recalling events．

         Experiments with police detectives trained in this demanding interview method find that they obtain nearly 50% more information from witnesses than before training, while error rates remain about the same．It is proved that cognitive interviews are quite important tools in improving the accuracy and completeness of witness testimony （證詞）．

1.

The purpose of the passage is to _____．

         A．give an account of a murder case

         B．introduce an idea of cognitive interview

         C．prove Fisher was an expert in cognitive interview

         D．help a witness to recall information in a cognitive interview

2.

What is required to recall in a cognitive interview for a witness?

         A．The exact time at which a murder took place．

         B．The information about the event in the time order．

         C．The important things that come to his or her mind．

         D．The surroundings and feelings at the time of the event．

3.

The key point in a cognitive interview is that

         A．the witness is encouraged to take part in recalling information

         B．the interviewer should interrupt the witness from time to time

         C．the interview should take place outside the police station

         D．the witness should recall details at the scene of the event

4.

The underlined word "distorted" in the passage probably means " ____

  A．a(chǎn)rranged               B．balanced       C. changed              D．examined

 

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