Living in a foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing(令人疑惑的). A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences. They decided that miscommunications were always impossible, even over something as simple as “yes” and “no”.
On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific, Lisa thought people weren’t paying any attention to her. The day was hot. She went into a store and asked, “Do you have cold drinks?” The woman there didn’t say anything. Lisa repeated the question. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her: She had raised her eyebrows（眉毛）, which in Micronesia means “yes”.
Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was known for its cabbage. She asked the waiter, “Do you have cabbage today?” He nodded his head. Jan waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means “no”.
Tom had a similar problem when he arrived in India. After explaining something in class, he asked his students if they understood. They answered with different nods and shakes of the head. He thought some people had not understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, they did the same thing. He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake their heads in different ways depending on where they come from. You have to know where a person is from to understand whether they mean “yes” or “no”.
1.These Americans teaching English in other countries found that they .
A. should go abroad for vacations
B. needed to learn foreign languages
C. should often discuss their experiences
D. had problems with communications
2.People in Micronesia show “yes” by .
A. nodding headsB. raising eyebrows
C. shaking headsD. saying “no”
3.Tom misunderstood his class at first because .
A. he did not know much about India culture
B. he didn’t explain everything clearly enough
C. some students didn’t understand his questions
D. he didn’t know where the students came from
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?
A. In Bulgaria, nodding heads means “no”.
B. Jan taught English on a Pacific island.
C. Lisa was trying to buy some cabbage.
D. In India, only shaking heads means “yes”.
5.The passage is mainly about .
A. body language in foreign restaurants
B. class discussion in India schools
C. miscommunication in different cultures
D. English teaching in other countries
Once there was a piano player in a bar. People came just to hear him play. But one night, a lady asked him to sing a song.
“I don’t sing,” said the man.
But the lady told the waiter, “I’m tired of listening to the piano. I want the player to sing!”
The waiter shouted across the room, “Hey, friend! If you want to get paid, sing a song!”
So he did. He had never sung in pubic before. Now he was singing for the very first time! Nobody had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung so beautifully!
He had talent(天赋)he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. But once he found, by accident, that he could sing well, he went on working hard and became one of the best-known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole.
You, too，have skills and abilities. You may not feel that your talent is great, but it may be better than you think. With hard work, most skills can be improved. Besides, you may have no success at all if you just sit on your talent.
1.The lady asked the player to sing a song because .
A. she had paid him for this
B. she knew him very well
C. she wanted to have a change
D. she enjoyed his singing
2.Nat King Cole succeeded because .
A. the lady helped him a lot
B. he caught the chance
C. he continued to play in the bar
D. he stopped playing the piano
3.The words “sit on” in the passage probably mean .
A. fail to realize B. forget to use
C. try to develop D. manage to show
4.From the story we know if you have some talent, you should .[
A. hide it and wait
B. ask others for help
C. pay no attention to it
D. work hard to improve yourself
5.Which could be the best title for the passage?
A. Sing in the BarB. Achieve Success in Life
C. Never Lose HeartD. Find Your Hidden Talent
An old man lived in a nice house with a large garden. He took care of his all the time, watering and fertilizing施肥them.
One day a young man went by the . He looked at the beautiful flowers, imagining how happy he could be if he lived in such a beautiful place. Then, suddenly he found the old gardener was . He was very surprised about this and asked, “You can’t see these flowers. Why are you busy taking care of them every day?”
The old man smiled and said,” I can tell you four . First, I was a gardener when I was young, and I really like this job. , although I can’t see these flowers, I can touch them. Third, I can smell the sweetness of them. As to the last one, that’s .”
“ Me? But you don’t know me,” said the young man.
“Yeah, it’s that I don’t know you. But I know that flowers are angels that everybody knows. We enjoy the happiness these flowers have brought us.”
The blind man’s work opened our eyes and our hearts, which also made his life happier. It was just like Beethoven, who became deaf in his later life and wrote many great musical works. Beethoven himself couldn’t his wonderful music, but his music has millions of people to face their difficulties bravely. Isn’t it one kind of happiness?
1.A. flowers B. trees C. vegetablesD. grass
2.A. studyB. gardenC. kitchen D. balcony
3.A. blind B. famous C. smart D. friendly
4.A. storiesB. reasons C. excuses D. conclusions
5.A. And B. But C. Second D. Third
6.A. me B. you C. my motherD. my son
7.A. true B. hard C. cool D. fair
8.A. broke B. hurt C. pleasedD. treated
9.A. write B. hear C. playD. believe
10.A. changed B. discovered C. encouragedD. made
I think Bob is the suitable person to take the job because he can do the work well with __________ money and __________people.
A. less; less B. less; more
C. more; fewer D. less; fewer
– How do you learn English words?
– _________ making flashcards .
A. To B. By C. For D. With
We can’t work out the physics problem. Can you tell us _________?
A. how to do B. what to do it
C. how to do it D. what should to do
