The playwright George Bernard Shaw once said humorously, “England and America are two nations divided by a common language. If he were writing today, he might add ‘divided by a common technology--- e-mail’”.
Two completely different styles of e-mail have formed on either side of the Atlantic-Euromail and Amerimail. Americail is informal and chatty. It’s likely to begin with a “Hi” and end with a “Bye”. The chances of Amerimail containing a smiley face or an “xoxo” are disturbingly high. We Americans are unwilling to dive into the meat of an e-mail. We feel we have to first inform recipients (收信人) about our vacation on the island which was really excellent except the jellyfish were biting and the kids caught a cold, so we had to skip the whale watching trip, but about that investors’ meeting in New York. Amerimail is a bundle of contradictions, casual and yet direct, respectful yet over proud. In other words, Amerimail is America.
Euromail is stiff and cold often beginning with a formal “Dear Mr. X” and ending with a simple “Sincerely”. You won’t find any mention of kids or the weather or jellyfish in Euromail. It’s all business. It’s also slow. Your correspondent might take days even weeks to answer a message. Euromail is exactly like the Europeans themselves.
Recently about 100 managers were asked on both sides of the Atlantic whether they noticed differences in e-mail styles. Most said yes. Here are a few of their observations:
“Americans tend to write (e-mail) exactly as they speak.”
“Why don’t you just call me instead of writing five e-mails back and forth?”
“Europeans are less interested in checking e-mail”.
“In general, Americans are much more responsive to e-mail—they respond faster and provide more information.”
So which is better, Euromail or Amerimail? I realized it’s not popular these days to suggest we have anything to learn from Europeans, but I’m fed up with an inbox filled with casual, barely meaningful e-mails from friends and colleagues. If the alternative is a few earnestly written, carefully worded bits of Euromail, then I say, “Bring it on.”
小题1:What did George Bernard Shaw mean by saying “England and America are two nations divided by a common language”?| A．There is not much difference between British English and American English. | | B．Both England and America speak the common language, so they are much the same. | | C．Either England or America is a divided nation, though they share a common language. | | D．There is sharp difference between England and America despite their common language. |
小题2:Which of the following is most likely to be the “meat” of an Amerimail?| A．The jellyfish were biting. | | B．We had an excellent vacation on the island. | | C．We had to skip the whale watching trip. | | D．We were to attend the investors’ meeting in New York. |
小题3:On receiving an e-mail, Europeans tend to __________.| A．respond to it immediately and earnestly | | B．take more time than Americans to respond to it | | C．respond by calling up their correspondent | | D．never respond to it all |
小题4:What are characteristics of Amerimail?| A．Informal and chatty | B．Casual and indirect | | C．Stiff and cold | D．Formal and direc60 |
小题5:We can conclude from the passage that __________.| A．the different e-mail styles do much harm to the relationship between the two sides on Atlantic | | B．Amerimail is more appreciated by the writer for being informative and casually written | | C．Euromail always impresses the writer as something more pleasant to read | | D．the writer doesn’t favor either e-mail style as both have their own shortcomings |
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小题1:D
小题2:D
小题3:B
小题4:A
小题5:D |
| 略 |
核心考点
试题【 The playwright George Bernard Shaw once said humorously, “England and America 】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
One winter morning I bought a copy of the New York World and turned its pages until I got the “Help Wanted Unskilled” section．A small advertisement held my 36 .It read, “Easy job．Good wages．No experience 37 .” It sounded like the job I was 38 ．Easy job．Good wages．Those four words 39 now and then in my brain as I was traveling to the address indicated in the 40 ．Easy job．Good wages．Easy job．Good wages．Easy ...
When I got to the place I saw a series of large 41 half filled with water, out of which I noticed 42 the necks of many bottles of various sizes and shapes． 43 these basins there were a number of workers sitting on small wooden benches．All had their 44 in the water of the basin, the left hand holding a 45 and the thumb nail of the right hand scratching（刮;擦） the labels on 46 .
I sat down on a 47 beside one of the basins and started to work on one bottle．As the minutes went by I noticed that the 48 of the water started to 49 from my hand to my body．But 50 still, the delicate thumb of my right hand was 51 by the minute into a full blown tomato colored finger．A numb（麻木的）pain began to be felt 52 from my right thumb．Then I began to feel as if the pain was coming from a finger bigger than all my body.
After three hours of this I told the manager I’d 53 .He figured I had 54 69 cents at 23 cents an hour．With the money, I left the working place．“Easy job．Good wages.” came to my brain again．Looking at my hands, I 55 myself, “Can easy job get good wages？”
| 小题1: | | A．eyes | B．attention | C．decision | D．breath |
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| 小题2: | | A．necessary | B．relevant | C．practical | D．primitive |
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| 小题3: | | A．running after | B．looking for | C．heading for | D．looking after |
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| 小题4: | | A．circled | B．moved | C．flashed | D．attacked |
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| 小题5: | | A．letter | B．sign | C．advertisement | D．post |
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| 小题6: | | A．baskets | B．bowls | C．pots | D．basins |
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| 小题7: | | A．hiding | B．sticking | C．rising | D．breaking |
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| 小题8: | | A．In | B．Above | C．Under | D．Around |
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| 小题9: | | A．arms | B．hands | C．legs | D．feet |
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| 小题10: | | A．knife | B．snail | C．bottle | D．brush |
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| 小题12: | | A．chair | B．bench | C．bottle | D．sofa |
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| 小题13: | | A．smell | B．coldness | C．color | D．steam |
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| 小题14: | | A．spread | B．travel | C．recycle | D．accelerate |
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| 小题15: | | A．worse | B．better | C．more | D．rather |
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| 小题16: | | A．going | B．finding | C．growing | D．becoming |
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| 小题17: | | A．now and then | B．here and there | C．one by one | D．little by little |
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| 小题18: | | A．adapt | B．equip | C．bargain | D．quit |
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| 小题19: | | A．taken | B．offered | C．earned | D．created |
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| 小题20: | | A．thought | B．asked | C．found | D．hated |
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A 25-five-year student from Hubei was admitted into Tsinghua University, China’ most famous university, after an eight-year ___21___．Li Jun comes from a small village of Hubei Province．He first ____22____ going to college in year 2000 ___23__he was admitted by a local school after __24___ from a secondary technical school at 17．As a ___25___ art student, he passed the exam again the next year but __26_____ school due to economic pressure in September 2002．Life seemed ___27___ but Li didn’t give in．He earned a _28_____ by working part-time in Wuhan’s art rooms and tutoring students．But he never lost sight of his lifelong dream of __29___ the Academy of Arts & Design of Tsinghua University．Li __30____ the college entrance examination for five continuous years from 2003．____31___, he missed making the cut one mark last year．
In 2008, his fifth try, Li’s efforts ___32_____．He finished the qualifying exam in his province and was finally admitted as a sculpture major in Tsinghua University．Every year, Li took art __33___ in Beijing and took exams from December to March．He then took cultural courses in his school till June．The rest of the year he spent on __34____ work．Li said he hadn’t ____35___any money from his family since he graduated from the technical secondary school．Li said the reason he maintained for eight years was that he wanted to change his __36_____ through knowledge．
_____37___ by his contribution, Li Jun’s university __38____ him 9,000 yuan out of his tution fees of 11,450 yuan．An eight-year struggle may have come to an end for Li Jun, but a new ___39__ has now begun．Li said he would not worry about repaying loans at present．He wants to study well and __40___ more scholarships．
| 小题1: | | A．research | B．struggle | C．service | D．expectation |
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| 小题2: | | A．talked of | B．told of | C．dreamt of | D．knew of |
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| 小题3: | | A．where | B．when | C．that | D．since |
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| 小题4: | | A．learning | B．separating | C．dating | D．graduating |
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| 小题5: | | A．gifted | B．surprised | C．interested | D．easy-going |
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| 小题6: | | A．went on with | B．watched out for | C．dropped out of | D．looked forward to |
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| 小题7: | | A．unfair | B．happy | C．practical | D．busy |
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| 小题8: | | A．value | B．respect | C．freedom | D．living |
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| 小题9: | | A．entering | B．visiting | C．supporting | D．pursing |
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| 小题10: | | A．turned to | B．applied for | C．called for | D．adapted to |
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| 小题11: | | A．Instead | B．At times | C．However | D．Besides |
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| 小题12: | | A．took off | B．paid off | C．gave off | D．sent off |
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| 小题13: | | A．ways | B．programmes | C．success | D．courses |
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| 小题14: | | A．full-time | B．part-time | C．out-of door | D．all |
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| 小题15: | | A．asked for | B．looked for | C．prayed for | D．waited for |
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| 小题16: | | A．plan | B．ideal | C．fate | D．opinion |
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| 小题17: | | A．Encouraged | B．Influenced | C．Accused | D．Impressed |
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| 小题18: | | A．funded | B．gave | C．paid | D．cost |
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| 小题19: | | A．challenge | B．life | C．case | D．relationship |
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Children find meanings in their old family tales.
When Stephen Guyer’s three children were growing up, he told them stories about how his grandfather, a banker, 33 all in the 1930s, but did not lose sight of what he valued most. In one of the darkest times 34 his strong-minded grandfather was nearly 35 , he loaded his family into the car and 36 them to see family members in Canada with a 37 ,“there are more important thins in life than money. ”
The 38 took on a new meaning recently when Mr. Guyer downsized to a 39 house from a more expensive and comfortable one. He was 40 that his children ,a daughter, 15, and twins, 22, would be upset. To his surprise, they weren’t. 41 , their reaction echoed （共鸣） their great-grandfather’s. What they 42 was how warm the people were in the house and how 43 of their heart was accessible.
Many parents are finding family stories have surprising power to help children 44 hard times. Storytelling expects say the phenomenon reflects a growing 45 in telling tales, evidenced by a rise in a storytelling events and festivals.
A university 46 of 65 families with children aged from 14 to 16 found kids’ ability to 47 parents’ stories was linked to a lower rate of anger and anxiety.
The 48 is telling the stories in a way children can 49 . We’re not talking here about the kind of story that 50 , “When I was a kid, I walked to school every day uphill both ways, barefoot in the snow. ” Instead, we should choose a story suited to the child’s 51 , and make eye contact（接触）to create “a personal experience”. We don’t have to tell children5u 52 they should take from the story and what the moral is . ”
| 小题1: | | A．missed | B．lost | C．forgot | D．ignored |
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| 小题3: | | A．friendless | B．worthless | C．penniless | D．homeless |
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小题4:A fetched B. allowed C. expected D. took
| 小题5: | | A．hope | B．promise | C．suggestion | D．belief |
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| 小题6: | | A．tale | B．agreement | C．arrangement | D．report |
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| 小题7: | | A．large | B．small | C．new | D．grand |
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| 小题8: | | A．surprised | B．annoyed | C．disappointed | D．worried |
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| 小题9: | | A．Therefore | B．Besides | C．Instead | D．Otherwise |
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| 小题10: | | A．talked about | B．cared about | C．wrote about | D．heard about |
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| 小题11: | | A．much | B．many | C．little | D．few |
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| 小题12: | | A．beyond | B．over | C．behind | D．through |
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| 小题13: | | A．argument | B．skill | C．interest | D．anxiety |
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| 小题14: | | A．study | B．design | C．committee | D．staff |
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| 小题15: | | A．provide | B．retell | C．support | D．refuse |
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| 小题16: | | A．trouble | B．gift | C．fact | D．trick |
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| 小题17: | | A．perform | B．write | C．hear | D．question |
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| 小题18: | | A．means | B．ends | C．begins | D．proves |
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| 小题19: | | A．needs | B．activities | C．judgments | D．habits |
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| 小题20: | | A．that | B．what | C．which | D．whom |
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Frank Woolworth was born in Rodman, New York., in 1852. His family were very poor farmers, and there was never enough to eat. Frank decided he did not want to be farmer. He took a short business course, and went to work as a salesman in a large city.
Woolworth realized he had a natural skill for showing goods to attract people’s interest, but he soon learned something more important. One day his boss told him to sell some odds and ends (小商品) for as much as he could get. Frank put all these things on one table with a sign which said FIVE CENTS EACH. People fought and pushed to buy the things and the table was soon cleared.
Soon afterwards, Woolworth opened his own store, selling goods at five and ten cents. But he had another lesson to learn before he became successful. That is, if you want to make money by selling low-price goods, you have to buy them in large quantities directly form the factories. Once, for example, Woolworth went to Germany and placed an order for knives. The order was so large that the factory had to keep running 24 hours a day for a whole year. In this way, the price of the knives was cut down by half.
By 1919, Woolworth had over 1000 stores in the US and Canada, and opened his first store in London. He made many millions and his name became famous throughout the world. He always run his business according to strict rules, of which the most important was: “ THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT.” （词数268）
小题1:Frank took a short business course in order to ____________.| A．earn more money for his family | B．learn something from a salesman | | C．get away from the farm | D．get enough to eat. |
小题2: Frank sold the odds and ends quickly because _____________.| A．he knew how to get people to buy his goods. | | B．he cut down the price by half | | C．he had put the goods on a table in a very nice way. | | D．the sign he put on the table was well designed. |
小题3:The price of the knives was cut down by half because ______________.| A．the factory workers worked 24 hours a day. | | B．knives were ordered in large quantities directly from the factory. | | C．the knives were made in Germany, where labor (劳动力) was cheap. | | D．the knives were produced in one factory. |
小题4: _____________make Woolworth a world-famous man.| A．His business skills and his wealth. | | B．The low price of the goods he sold. | | C．His trip to Germany and his huge order of knives. | | D．His natural skill for showing things. |
小题5:The belief that : “ The customer is always right” suggests that _______________.| A．whenever there is a quarrel between the customer and shop assistant, the customers are always right. | | B．If you want to succeed, the rule is the only way. | | C．stores must always follow the customer’s orders if they want to make more money. | | D．stores should do their best to meet the customer’s needs if they want to be successful. |
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Gossip moves so quickly that few people have time to cover their ears, even if they want to.
“I hate it when others gossip about me,” said Mandy Miraglia, 16, a high school student from California, “but to be honest, gossip about my friends makes me feel I am trusted and belong to the group.” Miraglia is not the only person feeling like that.
Gossip has long been looked down on as little more than nonsense and bad manners. But recent research has shown that gossip has many positive effects on your social life.
“There has been a trend among people to dislike gossip,” said David Sloan Wilson, Professor from the State University of New York in Binghamton, US, “but gossip appears to be a very important form of behavior in a group of friends, defining their group membership.”
For 18 months, Kevin Kniffin, from the University of Wisconsin, US, researched the behavior of 50 people. He found that gossip levels peaked when a sports team included a slacker, someone who regularly missed practices or showed up late. Other members of the team would soon start to joke about the slacker’s shortcomings behind his back, because they thought they were bad for the whole team.
Gossip about the mistakes of senior members helps newcomers rebuild their confidence after a failure.
It also helps relieve social and professional anxiety. Long-term studies show that people around the world devote from a fifth to two-thirds or more of their daily conversation to gossip, and men appear to be just as eager for gossip as women.
It is hard to judge gossip, but it is more powerful than you think.
小题1: The author would probably agree that______________.| A．gossip is bad manners | | B．gossip has many good effects | | C．gossip is somewhat like nonsense | | D．gossip is more powerful than advice |
小题2: What does the underlined word “slacker” mean according to the context?| A．Someone who values the team benefit much. | | B．Someone who does not do what they should well. | | C．Someone who is active in sports. | | D．Someone who shows no much interest in sports. |
小题3:Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?| A．Gossip is a useful way of building group membership. | | B．Gossip can possibly make someone confident. | | C．Generally, women are fonder of gossip than men. | | D．Actually, everyone gossips to some degree in their daily conversation. |
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