Question

When former American President Bill Clinton travelled to South Korea to visit President Kim Young Sam,he repeatedly referred to the Korean president’s wife as Mrs.Kim.By mistake, President Clinton’s advisers thought that Koreans have the same naming customs as the Japanese. Clinton had not been told that,in Korea,wives keep their family names.President Kim Young Sam’s wife was named Sohn Myong Suk.Therefore,she should be addressed(称谓) as Mrs.Sohn.

President Clinton arrived in Korea directly after leaving Japan and had not changed his culture gears.His failure to follow Korean customs gave the impression that Korea was not as important to him as Japan.

In addition to Koreans,some Asian husbands and wives do not share the same family names.This practice often puzzles(使困惑) English-speaking teachers when talking with a pupil’s parents.They become puzzled about the student’s correct last name.Placing the family name first is common among a number of Asian cultures.

Mexican naming customs are different as well.When a woman marries,she keeps her family name and adds her husband’s name after the word de(of).This affects(影响) how they fill in forms in the United States.When requested to fill in a middle name,they generally write the father’s family name.But Mexicans are addressed by the family name of the mother.This often causes puzzlement.

Here are a few ways to deal with such difficult situations:don’t always think that a married woman uses her husband’s last name.Remember that in many Asian cultures,the order of first and last names is reversed(颠倒).Ask which name a person would prefer to use.If the name is difficult to pronounce,admit it,and ask the person to help you say it correctly.

1.The story of Bill Clinton is used to ______.

A.improve US-Korean relations

B.introduce the topic of the text

C.describe his visit to Korea

D.tell us how to address a person

2.The word “gears” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ______.

A.action plans                              B.naming customs

C.travel maps                               D.thinking patterns

3.When a woman marries in Korea,she ______.

A.continues to use her family name

B.uses her husband’s given name

C.shares her husband’s family name

D.adds her husband’s given name to hers

4.To address a married woman properly,you’d better ______.

A.use her middle name

B.use her husband’s first name

C.ask her which name she likes

D.change the order of her names

Answer

1.B

解析：这是一道推断题。这篇短文的开头讲述了Bill Clinton访问韩国时，称Kim Young Sam的夫人Mrs.Kim，而实际上Kim Young Sam的夫人Mrs.Kim被称之为Mrs.Sohn。通过这过故事，作者讲述了韩国姓氏的习惯，由此可推断出Bill Clinton的故事被用于作为文章的开场白。

2.D

解析：这是一道词义猜测题。根据第一段中的“By mistake,President Clinton’s advisers thought that Koreans have the same naming customs as the Japanese.Clinton had not been told that,in Korea,wives keep their family names.”可猜测出gears的意思是“思维模式”。

3.A

解析：这是一道细节题。根据第一段中的“Clinton had not been told that,in Korea,wives keep their family names.”可判断出韩国妇女结婚后仍然姓她们娘家的姓。

4.C

解析：这是一道细节题。根据最后一段中的“Ask which name a person would prefer to use.”可判断出当称呼结婚的妇女时，你最好问她她喜欢哪一个姓。