Question

What is time? Is it a thing to be saved or spent or wasted, like money? Or is it something we have no control over, like the weather? Is time the same all over the world? That's an easy question, you say. Wherever you go, a minute is 60 seconds, an hour is 60 minutes, a day is 24 hours, and so forth. Well, maybe. But in America, time is more than that. Americans see time as a valuable resource. Maybe that's why they are fond of the expression, "Time is money."

To Americans, punctuality is a way of showing respect for other people's time. Being more than 10 minutes late to an appointment usually calls for an apology, and maybe an explanation. People who are running late often call ahead to let others know of the delay. Of course, the less formal the situation, the less important it is to be exactly on time. At informal get-togethers, for example, people often arrive as much as 30 minutes past the appointed time. But they usually don't try that at work.

American lifestyles show how much people respect the time of others. When people plan an event, they often set the time days or weeks in advance. Once the time is fixed, it takes almost an emergency to change it. If people want to come to your house for a friendly visit, they will usually call first to make sure it is suitable. Only very close friends will just "drop by" unannounced. Also, people hesitate to call others late at night for fear they might be in bed. The time may vary, but most folks think twice about calling after 10:00 p.m.

1.Why are the Americans fond of the expression “ Time is money.”?

A．Because they can’t control time.

B．Because they is the same all over the world.

C．Because they consider time as a thing like money.

D．Because they consider time as a valuable resource.

2.In America, if you are more than 10 minutes late to an appointment,

A．it doesn’t matter

B．it is necessary for you to make an apology

C．you needn’t say anything about your delay

D．you needn’t call ahead to let others know you will be late.

3.What does the last paragraph mainly discuss?

A．The reasons why Americans value time.

B．The ways to show their respect to the time of others.

C．Being on time is highly valued in the USA.

D．Never drop in on others unless you are their close friends.

4.We can infer that        .

A．you mustn’t be on time when you attend an informal get-together.

B．you can’t change the time of an appointment once you fix it.

C．Americans never call up others after 10 p.m.

D．Americans think highly of punctuality at work.

5.The main idea of the passage is        .

A．that Americans value punctuality

B．that in the USA time is limited and valuable.

C．the Americans attitude towards time.

D．the Americans’ control over time.

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.B

4.D

5.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文是一篇议论文。主要讲的是时间，对有些人来说，时间就是像钱一样用来花费的东；对有些人来讲，时间是像天气一样，不可掌控的；可是对美国人来讲，时间却是一种十分宝贵的资源。本文主要以美国人为例子，向我们重申了时间的重要性。

1. 细节题。从第一段“But in America, Americans see time as a valuable resource”，但是在美国，美国人把时间视为一项宝贵的资源，故选D。

2. 细节题。从第二段“Being more than 10 minutes late to an appointment usually calls for an apology, and maybe an explanation.”超过十分钟的约会迟到会需要道歉，并且还可能需要一个解释，故选B。

3. 主旨题。考查对最后一段的理解。从最后一段第一句“American lifestyles show how much people respect the time of others.”美国人的生活方式能表明他们有多么的尊重他人的时间，故选B。

4. 推断题。从第二段“…people often arrive as much as 30 minutes past the appointed time. But they usually don't try that at work.”人们经常在约会时间过去三十分钟后才到，可是在工作中他们几乎从不那样，故选D。

5. 主旨题。本文主要讲的是美国人对待时间的态度，并且着重从美国人特别尊重他人的时间这一方面来说明，故选C。

考点：考查议论文阅读