Americans expect an invitation to a dinner or a request for a date or for any other s

so many Americans from being as happy as one might expect, it seems to me that there are two causes.

A) why it does B) what it does

C) what it is D) why it is

A．be clear about their main ideas

B．give as much information as possible

C．express their personal views

D．be honest about their true feelings

When I try to understand ________ that prevents so many Americans from being as happy as one might expect, it seems to me that there are two causes.

A) why it does B) what it does C) what it is D) why it is

During the traditional wedding ceremony, the

CD＃6bridal couple promises each other lifelong 【M1】______

devotion. Yet, about one out of four American

marriages ends in divorce. Since 1940, the

divorce rate has more than doubled, and

experts predict that, of all marriages that

occured in the 1970s, about【M10】% will end in 【M2】______

divorce. The USA is one of the highest divorce 【M3】______

rates in the world, perhaps even the highest.

What goes wrong？ That fact that divorce is so

common in the United States does not mean that

Americans consider marriage a casual, unimportant

relationship. Just opposite is true. Americans 【M4】______

expect a great deal from marriage. They seek physical

, emotional, and intellectual compatibility.

They want to be loved deep and understood. It 【M5】______

is because Americans expect so much from

marriage that so many get divorce. They prefer 【M6】______

no marriage at all to a marriage without love

and understanding. Which typical American

optimist, they end one marriage in the 【M7】______

hope of that the next will be happier. With 【M8】______

no fault divorce laws in many states, it is

easier than never to get a divorce. Some American 【M9】______

women stay in unhappy marriages because they

do not have the education or job experience

to support themselves and their children.

But most American women believe that, ff necessary,

they can make it lonely without a 【M10】______

husband. All things considered, Americans

have little reason to continue an unhappy

marriage.

【M1】

disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending (延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.

Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality (好客) easily.

Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may begenerous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.

For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!

1.The writer of this passage must be a Chinese.()

2. Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break.()

3.From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be warmly welcomed at the airport.()

4.The underlined words “generous with our time” in Paragraph 3 probably mean willing to spend time.

5.A suitable title for this passage would probably be “Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships”.()

o be aware of the standard negotiation practices in the United States. Americans grow up believing in the motto "He who hesitates is lost."【C1】______ , most Americans conduct business at lightning speed. It is not【C2】______ for contracts to be signed during the first business meeting. These rapid contracts are【C3】______ by the fact that middle managers have the【C4】______ to make quick decisions without consulting the boss or 【C5】______ with the group. Brief small talk often【C6】______ the business interaction,【C7】______ the short-term rewards, and financial arrangements quickly become the focus.【C8】______ contracts are helpful but not necessary because a person's last successes are deemed more important. Communication is usually indirect, informal, competitive and【C9】______ argumentative.

Negotiation in Western Europe is different from【C10】______ in the United States. For the French, business is a very formal issue, and any【C11】______ of a casual attitude will have a negative influence on the transaction. Their eye contact tends to be so intense that even North Americans may feel【C12】______ . In Germany, business is also conducted very formally【C13】______ great attention to order, planning, and schedules. Because of this slow methodical process, it is virtually impossible to speed up a business transaction. Humor, compliments, and personal questions are not a part of German negotiations.【C14】______ , business may begin immediately after an introduction. Although the Dutch are also straightforward and【C15】______ in negotiations, business is conducted at a slower pace than in the United States.

Swedes are also very serious about business. They show little【C16】______ during negotiation and expect the same from you.【C17】______ is important to Swedish negotiations, and they tend to avoid confrontation. They may【C18】______ a discussion abruptly if they think it will lead to an argument over a sensitive topic. In conversation, Swedes do not【C19】______ exaggeration or superficiality. However, silence is part of their language pattern, so they expect【C20】______ to be filled with long pauses.

【C1】

A．However

B．Moreover

C．Therefore

D．Meanwhile

riendship. Reading what they write, I start to understand Chinese friendship obligations. Chinese can usually expect more from their friends than Americans can. For instance, once a student wrote that she understood that her friend wanted to go shopping. My student was busy and really had no time to do that, but she kept silent, put her work aside and went shopping with her friend. This is quite different from what American young people would say about friendship. In the U.S. you feel free to ask your friend for help, but you recognize that the friend may say no, if they give you a reason. A friend in China is someone who, sensing that you are in need in some way, offers to assist you without waiting to be asked. In China there are few limits on what you can ask or expect of a friend.

Another difference is that Chinese expect friendships to be more lasting. They think a true friendship is a relationship that endures through changes in the lives of the friends. In the U.S. a person is likely to change even “best friends” several times over the years. Even the relationship in which people feel close emotionally and tell each other their secrets and personal problems may not survive life changes such as a move to another city, graduation from university, a significant change in economic circumstances, or the marriage of one of the friends. I think the reason is that friendship, like so many other relationships in the U.S. including marriage, depends on frequent interaction with the other person. If the people involved do not see each other and inter act regularly, the relationship is likely to fade and die.

(1)What may an American girl do if she is busy when her friend asks her to go shopping？

A、She may keep silent.

B、She may put her work aside and go shopping with her friend.

C、She may say no, giving reasons.

D、she may help you without waiting to be asked.

(2)Which of the following statements is true？

A、Chinese people don't feel free to ask their friends for help.

B、Chinese people always try to help their friends without being asked.

C、Americans wouldn't offer help when you ask.

D、Americans always say no to their friends.

(3)Which of the following sayings can properly describe Chinese friendship？

A、A friend in need is a friend indeed.

B、Love me, love my dog.

C、Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

D、None of the above.

(4)According to the passage, why are Americans likely to change their friends several times over the years？

A、Because this is their nature.

B、Because they don't have best friends all through their lives.

C、Because American friendship depends on frequent interaction with the other person.

D、Because American friendship is to fade and die.

(5)What is the most proper title for this passage？

A、Chinese Friendship

B、American Friendship

C、Friendship

D、Friendship in China and America

space. Every person perceives himself to have a sort of invisible shield surrounding his physical body. When someone comes too close, he feels uncomfortable. When he bumps into someone, he feels obligated to apologize. But the size era person's "comfort zone" depends on his cultural origin. For example, in casual conversation, many Americans stand about four feet apart, hi other words, they like to keep each other "at arm's length". People in Latin or Arab cultures, in contrast, stand very close to each other, and touch each other often. (79) If someone from one of those cultures stands too close to an American while in conversation the American may feel uncomfortable and back away.

When Americans are talking, they expect others to respond to what they are saying. (80) To Americans, polite conversationalists empathize by displaying expressions of excitement or disgust shock or sadness. People with a "poker face", whose emotions are hidden by a deadpan expression, are looked upon with suspicion. Americans also indicate their attentiveness in a conversation by raising their eyebrows, nodding, smiling politely and maintaining good eye contact. Whereas some cultures view direct eye contact as impolite or threatening, Americans see it as a sign of genuineness and honesty. If a person doesn't look you in the eye, an American might say, you should question his motives or assume that he doesn't like you. Yet with all the concern for eye contact, Americans still consider staring—especially at strangers--to be rude.

The passage is mainly concerned with ______ .

A．classification of nonverbal communication

B．the reasons why people should think about space

C．the relationship between communication and space

D．cultural aspects of nonverbal communication

Traditional Ideas about Marriage

Almost every society has certain traditional ideas about marriage. For example，most societies expect men and women to marry. Most cultures also have traditions about the role and duties of a husband and a wife. Traditionally，the husband is expected to earn a living，and the wife is expected to keep house and raise children.

Many Americans did not follow traditional marriage patterns. For example，a large number of married couples share responsibilities that have been traditionally handled by either the husband or the wife. An increasing number of married women have paying jobs and help support their families financially. In 1940s，about 15 percent of all married women earned money. In the early 1990s，about 60 percent held a full-or part-time job. More and more husbands share responsibilities traditionally handled by women，such as cooking，doing housework，and caring for children.

On the average，men and women stay single longer than they once did. In 1950s，men married at an average age of 23，and women married at an average age of 20. By the mid-1990s，the average marriage age was about 26.5 for men and about 24.5 for women.

An increasing number of people choose not to marry. If a man and a woman wish to avoid marriage，they may decide to live together with no formal obligations to each other. This arrangement is more common among young adults，but some couples of all ages live together without marrying. (239 words)

6. Most societies expect men and women to marry and have traditions about the role and duties of a husband and a wife.

A. T

B. F

7. All Americans would like to follow the traditional marriage patterns.

A. T

B. F

8. The number of married women with a paying job to support their families financially is increasing.

A. T

B. F

9. In the early 1990s，about 15 percent held a full-or part-time job.

A. T

B. F

10. More and more Americans choose to live together without marriage.

A. T

B. F

to be shorter and more casual than friendships among people from other cultures. It is not uncommon for Americans to have only one close friend during their lifetime, and consider other "friends" to be just social acquaintances. This attitude probably has something to do with American mobility and the fact that Americans do not like to be dependent on other people. They tend to "compartmentalize" (划分) friendships, having "friends at work", "friends on the softball team", "family friends", etc..

Because the United States is a highly active society, full of movement and change, people always seem to be on the go. In this highly charged atmosphere, Americans can sometimes seem brusque (无礼的) or impatient. They want to get to know you as quickly as possible and then move on to something else. Sometimes, early on, they will ask you questions that you may feel are very personal. No insult is intended; the questions usually grow out of their genuine interest or curiosity, and their impatience to get to the heart of the matter. And the same goes for you. If you do not understand certain American behavior. or you want to know more about them, do not hesitate to ask them questions about themselves. Americans are usually eager to explain all about their country or anything "American" in which you may be interested. So much so in fact that you may become tired of listening. It doesn't matter because Americans tend to be uncomfortable with silence during a conversation. They would rather talk about the weather or the latest sports scores, for example, than deal with silence.

On the other hand, don't expect Americans to be knowledgeable about international geography or world affairs, unless those subjects directly involve the United States. Because the United States is not surrounded by many other nations, some Americans tend to ignore the rest of the world.

The general topic of the passage is______.

A．American culture

B．American society

C．Americans' activities

D．Americans' personality