As we know, there are differences between Western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used. Let’s look at some words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese about the dog, for example, “a homeless dog”, “a mad dog”, “a running dog” and “a dog catching a mouse”, have negative meanings. But in Western countries, dogs are considered to be honest and good friends of humans. In English, people use the dog to describe positive actions. For example, “you are a lucky dog” means you are a lucky person. And “every dog has its day” means each person has good luck sometimes. To describe a person’s serious illness, they say “sick as a dog”. The word “dog-tired” means very tired. However, Chinese love cats very much. But in Western culture, “cat” is often used to describe a woman who is cruel(冷酷的). There are many other examples of how “cat” is used differently as well.

　　The rose is regarded as a symbol of love in both China and some Western countries. People think the rose stands for love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is the national f lower of England, America and many other countries.

　　The words about plants and animals are used in positive or negative ways in different cultures. We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how some words are used.

　　( )1. The word “dog” in Chinese usually 　　　.

　　A. shows peace

　　B. stands for friendship

　　C. has a negative meaning

　　D. has a positive meaning

　　( )2. “Every dog has its day” means “　　　” in English.

　　A. Everybody in the world is lucky

　　B. Each person lives his own way of life

　　C. If one works hard, he’s sure to succeed

　　D. Everybody has a time in life to be lucky

　　( )3. Western people usually use “cat” to refer to(指代) “_______”.

　　A. a tired person B. a brave man

　　C. a homeless person D. an unkind woman

　　( )4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

　　A. Words show differences in cultures.

　　B. Chinese people prefer dogs to cats.

　　C. Western people regard cats as good friends.

　　D. Rose is the national flower of all Western countries.

　　( )5. What’s the BEST title for the passage?

　　A. Negative or Positive?

　　B. Different Countries Have Different Cultures

　　C. Rose Means the Same in Chinese and English

　　D. What Dog and Cat Mean in English and Chinese

　　That little “a” with a circle around it is most commonly used as the “at” symbol. The symbol is usually found in e-mail addresses. Surprisingly though, there is no official (官方的) name for this symbol, there are lots of strange ways to describe the @ symbol. Before the @ symbol became the popular symbol for e-mail, it was used to show the cost of something. For example, if you bought 6 apples, you might write 6 apples @$1.10 each.

　　As e-mail is becoming more and more popular, the @ symbol or the “at” sign is used between a person’s online user name and his mail server address, for example, joe@126.com. The symbol’s use on the Internet made it necessary for people to put this symbol on keyboards in the countries that had never seen or used the symbol before.

　　The actual origin (起源) of the @ symbol remains a mystery. According to an ancient western legend, during the Middle Ages before the invention of the printing press (印刷机), every letter of a word had to be written by hand for each copy of a book. The monks (僧侣) looked for ways to make the letters of common words less. Although the word “at” was quite short, it was quite a common word in texts and documents. As a result, they circled around “a” and created @.

　　根据短文内容，选择最佳选项。(10分)

　　( ) 6. What did someone mean by writing 5 pears @$2.0 each in the past?

　　A. He bought 5 pears for free.

　　B. He paid $7.0.

　　C. 5 pears cost $2.0.

　　D. Each pear was $2.0.

　　( ) 7. Why did the monks in the old times create @ most probably?

　　A. Because @ could be printed very easily and clearly.

　　B. Because they were ordered to invent some symbols.

　　C. Because they didn’t want to write the word “at” again and again.

　　D. Because they wanted to make their texts or documents look special.

　　( ) 8. Which of the following is NOT true?

　　A. @ is often seen in e-mail addresses today.

　　B. The @ symbol has always meant the same in history.

　　C. The Internet makes @ become more popular.

　　D. The actual origin of @ is still difficult to explain.

　　( ) 9. What do we know from the passage?

　　A. @ was used before the Middle Ages.

　　B. @ is still always used to show prices of goods now.

　　C. No one had seen @ before it was put on the keyboard.

　　D. There was no @ on keyboards in some countries before.

　　( ) 10. Which is the BEST title for the passage?

　　A. What is @ B. The secret of @

　　C. How to use @ D. The actual origin of @

　　As we all know British love queues, but there is no real line-up(队列) in a bar — and the bar workers do know whose turn it is. But there still are some rules. For example, don’t speak loudly, or snap your fingers. And whatever you do, ple ase don’t ring the bell hanging behind the counter(柜台)---this is used by the boss to tell people it’s closing time. Remember if you look too pleased and happy, the bar workers will think they have served you.

　　In a British bar always say “please” and try to remember the things that the British bar workers hate. For example, they don’t like people to keep others waiting when they can’t decide what to drink. They don't like people standing against the bar when there are a lot of customers waiting for service.

　　One tourist who spent six months interviewing 50 bosses and more than 1,000 customers said, “I cannot understand how the British are able to buy themselves a drink. But they do, and if you follow these rules you should be able to do so, too.”

　　Talking of tips(小费), you should never offer the bar workers a cash gratuity(现金小费). The correct behavior is to invite them to drink something. If so, they will think that their work is worthy. A cash gratuity is unfriendly and impolite.

　　( ) 11. The bell behind the counter is used for _________.

　　A. asking the waiters for help

　　B. attracting people

　　C. showing the price of the drinks

　　D. telling people the closing time

　　( ) 12. The bar workers will think _________ if you look very excited.

　　A. you have been served B. you are very friendly

　　C. you need more drinks D. you are very pleased with their drinks

　　( ) 13. If you want to thank the bar workers, what should you do?

　　A. Give them a cash gratuity.

　　B. Give them something to drink.

　　C. Invite them to your family.

　　D. Make friends with them.

　　( ) 14. What is the Chinese meaning of the underlined word “customers”?

　　A. 服务员 B. 顾客 C. 经理 D. 病人

　　( ) 15. What is the passage mainly about?

　　A. The difference between a British bar and a Chinese bar.

　　B. The workers in a British bar.

　　C. Manners in a British bar.

　　D. How to give tips.

　　1-5 CDDAB

　　6-10 DCBDA 11-15 DACBC

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