The way we do things round here
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 body language, dress, manners, ideas and so on. The way people do things highlights many of the differences we see between cultures（文化）．
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（氣候），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 "late" because there is nothing wrong with the times people arrive. It is simply the accepted thing to do in their own country.
小題1: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
小題2:The word "highlights" in Paragraph 2 probably means_____.
A．encourages B．helps to narrow
C．increases D．draws attention to
小題3: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 our own way.
D．Do in-depth research.
小題4:When invited to a party the people who are usually punctual are______.
A．Italians B．Germans C．Greeks D．the British

小題1:A
小題2:D
小題3:B
小題4:B

試題分析：文章大意：本文是一篇說明文。文章通過對(duì)比英美文化的不同，介紹了我們做事方式的差異。
小題1:事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。從文章第一段分析，作者對(duì)于“quite”一詞的理解偏差導(dǎo)致了作者心情不愉快。因?yàn)樽髡哒J(rèn)為這家美國銀行并沒有器重他。故選 A。
小題2:猜測(cè)詞義題。由文章第二段可知，無論我們說話還是做事，必須要注意我們文化之間的差異性。many of the differences we see between cultures 就是我們要注意的內(nèi)容。highlight 本意“強(qiáng)調(diào)”，此處表示“注意”。故選 D。
小題3:推理判斷題。由文章第三段信息句 Mostly， is just a question of getting used to the differences and itaccepting them，like the climate，while getting on with business.可知，適應(yīng)文化差異就像在外出差適應(yīng)當(dāng)?shù)氐臍夂蛞粯樱瑢W(xué)會(huì)適應(yīng)和接受。故本題選 B。
小題4:事實(shí)細(xì)節(jié)題。由第四段信息句 If you invite people to a party at 7 oclock your guests will consider itpolite to turn up exactly on time in Germany 可知，德國人是最準(zhǔn)時(shí)的人。故選 B。
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

In the 18th century, New York was smaller than Philadelphia and Boston. Today it is the largest city in America. How can the change in its size and importance be explained?
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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(The Guardian)More UK universities should be profiting from ideas
　　A repeated criticism of the UK's university sector is its noticeable weakness in translating new knowledge into new products and services.
　　Recently, the UK National Stem Cell Network warned the UK could lose its place among the world leaders in stem cell research unless adequate funding and legislation could be assured, despite an annual £40m spent by the Department of Health on all kinds of research.
　　However, we do have to challenge the unthinking complaint that the sector does not do enough in taking ideas to market. The most recent comparative data on the performance of universities and research institutions in Australia, Canada, USA and UK shows that, from a relatively weak starting position, the UK now leads on many indicators of commercialization activity.
　　When viewed at the national level, the policy interventions (interference) of the past decade have helped transformed the performances of UK universities. Evidence suggests the UK's position is much stronger than in the recent past and is still showing improvement. But national data masks the very large variation in the performance of individual universities. The evidence shows that a large number of universities have fallen off the back of the pack, a few perform strongly and the rest chase the leaders.
　　This type of uneven distribution is not strange to the UK and is mirrored across other economies. In the UK, research is concentrated: less than 25% of universities are receiving 75% of the research funding. These same universities are also the institutions producing the greatest share of PhD graduates, science citations, patents and license income. The effect of policies generating long-term resource concentration has also created a distinctive set of universities which are research-led and commercially active. It seems clear that the concentration of research and commercialization work creates differences between universities.
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　　Part of the economic recovery of the UK will be driven by the next generation of research commercialization spilling out of our universities. On the evidence presented in my report, there are three dozen universities in the UK which are actively engaged in advanced research training and commercialization work.
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B．They still have a place among the world leaders.
C．They do not regard it as their responsibility.
D．They fail to change knowledge into money.
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A．It masks the fatal weaknesses of government policy.
B．It indicates their ineffective use of government resources.
C．It does not rank UK universities in a scientific way.
D．It does not reflect the differences among universities.
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A．concentration of resources in a limited number of universities
B．compulsory cooperation between universities and industries
C．government aid to non-research-oriented universities
D．fair distribution of funding for universities and research institutions
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B．Generously share their facilities with those short of funds.
C．Advertise their research to win international recognition.
D．Spread their influence among top research institutions.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Every culture has a recognized point when a child becomes an adult, when rules must be followed and tests passed.
In China, although teenagers can get their ID cards at 16, many only see themselves as an adult when they are 18. In the US, where everyone drives, the main step to the freedom of adult life is learning to drive. At 16, American teens take their driving test. When they have their license, they drive into the grown-up world.
“Nobody wants to ride the cheese bus to school,” said Eleanor Fulham, 17. She brought the pressure back to memory, especially from kids from wealthier families. “It’s like you’re not cool if you don’t have a car,” she said.
According to recent research, 41% of 16 to 19-year-olds in the US own cars, up from 23% in 1985. Although, most of these cars are bought by parents, some teens get part-time jobs to help pay.
Not all families can afford cars for their children. In cities with subways and limited parking, some teenagers don’t want them. But in rich suburban areas without subways, and where bicycles are more for fun than transportation, it is strange for a teenager not to have a car.
But police say 16-year-olds have almost three times more accidents than 18 and 19-year-olds. This has made many parents pause before letting their kids drive.
Julie Sussman, of Virginia, decided that her son Chad, 15, will wait until he is 17 to apply for his learner’s permit.
Chad said he has accepted his parents’ decision, although it has caused some teasing from his friends. “They say that I am unlucky,” he said, “But I’d rather be alive than driving, and I don’t really trust my friends on the road, either.”
In China, as more families get cars, more 18-year-olds learn to drive. Will this become a big step to becoming an adult?
小題1:Which may serve as the BEST title of the article?
A．Cars Helping You to Grow-UpB．Driving into the Grown-Up World
C．Teenagers’ Driving in AmericaD．Recognized Point of Becoming an Adult
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A．they want to show themselves offB．they are never experienced drivers
C．older people always drive betterD．they never drive carefully on the road
小題3:Which may NOT be taken into consideration when deciding whether to buy a car?
A．How well off the family is.
B．Whether the kid is old enough.
C．What traffic condition there is around.
D．Whether it’s practically needed.
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A．he might run into his friends if he drove
B．he didn’t agree with his friends
C．he might not be safe if his friends drove
D．he was afraid that his friends might well lie to him
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A．a(chǎn)n American culture
B．a(chǎn) cultural difference between America and China
C．a(chǎn) change in the Chinese culture
D．the relationship between driving and a person’s development

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