Q: After living in the United States for quite a long time, I do not think about the cultural differences any more. Last month, my parents came to visit me. Their observations   on the American lifestyle reminded me that cultural differences between living in China and America are actually everywhere. When my parents came to America, they praised my house. Everyone had his/her own bedroom; there was a front yard, a backyard and a garage; there were many bathrooms - all convenient and comfortable. However, they were not used to the glass doors at the first floor. My mom, from southern China, was worried that someone would break open the glass doors. Though I said that nobody would do that, she was still worried about it. When I brought them to eat in fast food restaurants, whether it was in McDonald's or KFC, they saw that refilling drinks was for free. This concept   of free refill was so new to them. A Chinese friend told me a story. He and his American girlfriend ate at a restaurant. His girlfriend wanted to drink English tea. He was curious, so he tried some and found that it didn't taste bad with milk and sugar in it. Adding more water to tea is free of course, so he drank more cups. His girlfriend found it embarrassing and explained to him that what he was doing was not exactly fair. If he wanted to drink more tea, he should buy another cup. My friend thought that Americans could take advantage of the free refills, but only a few of them did that. After staying in America for some time, he changed his habit. What made the writer's parents worried? A) That someone would break into the house. B) That someone would be hurt by the glass doors. C) That they wouldn't have a bedroom of their own. D) That they wouldn't live comfortably in the house.
A: A


Q: At a psychology conference in England years ago, a woman said to me: "I'll knock you up in the morning." I was taken aback by her strange suggestion, but it occurred to me that I might not have understood what she really meant. As it turned out, what she had meant was, "I'll knock on your door in the morning so that we can meet for breakfast to discuss the panel we're on." This example of the difference in the meaning of "knock you up" in British and American English shows the complicated situations that can result from cultural misunderstandings. A cultural misunderstanding occurs when something -- a word, gesture, object, social context, or almost anything you can think of -- has a different meaning in two cultures. Sometimes the misunderstandings get _ , sometimes they lead nowhere, and sometimes they can become the starting point of something much more extreme, from love to war. Race is one area where cultural misunderstandings are common. We Americans tend to assume that racial categories are biological rather than social, so it may not occur to us that people from other cultures have a different set of racial concepts and classify themselves and us differently. Some African Americans complain that certain immigrants from other countries, such as Haiti or Jamaica, "act as if they aren't black." The cultural misunderstanding is that, in the immigrants' countries of origin, they would never describe themselves as "black". This doesn't mean that they think they are white. It just means that their cultures have more categories, like marabou or grimaud in Haiti, or fair or brown in Jamaica, than are used in the United States. Meanwhile, white people in America, unaware of this cultural diversity, sometimes refer to all darker-skinned people as "black" without realizing that an issue exists. Resolving cultural misunderstandings can clear the air or even lead to laughter. Sometimes, though, when it comes to race, unidentified cultural misunderstandings can create tension, unhappiness and distrust. We can learn from the passage that cultural misunderstandings  _  . A) mostly come from body language B) are the most serious social problem in the US C) can cause negative feelings among people D) can be cleared up with laughter
A: C


Q: Children at school need this type of memory on a daily basis for a variety of tasks, such as following teachers' instructions or remembering oral sentences. During the study, volunteers were asked to perform one of two simple tasks during which researchers checked to ask if the participants' minds were wandering. At the end, participants measured their working memory ability by remembering a series of letters with simple maths questions. Daniel, a psychologist in the United States, said that those with higher working memory ability reported "more mind wandering during these simple tasks", but their performance did not suffer. The results, published online in the journal Psychological Science, appear to confirm previous research that found working memory allows humans to deal with multiple   thoughts at the same time. Dr Smallwood,in Leipzig,Germany,said: "What this study seems to suggest is that, when circumstances for the task aren't very difficult, people who have additional working memory resources arrange _ to think about things other than what they're doing. " Working memory ability is also associated with general measures of intelligence, such as reading comprehension and IQ scores, and also offers a window into the widespread, but not well understood, field of internally   driven thoughts. Dr Smallwood added: "Our results suggest the sorts of planning that people do quite often in daily life--when they are on the bus, when they are cycling to work, when they are in the shower--are probably supported by working memory. What can we learn from the passage? A) It's not a bad thing for children with wandering minds. B) The result of the study doesn't agree with the previous research. C) Circumstances might make children's heads clever. D) Only working memory can handle difficult problems.
A: A


Q: Your living room Feng shui is all about balance. Try to arrange sofas and chairs in a square around a circular table. Avoid an L-shaped arrangement as this leaves a missing corner. The centre of the living room should be left clear. Make sure there is a lot of light, which will promote good energy. Put plants in the corners of the room, as they attract good energy and will energize your health, but not ones with sharp leaves such as yuccas or cactus. Fresh flowers also bring good energy, but throw them away as soon as they begin to die, and don't have dried flowers. Mirrors are vital because they reflect energy. Round or oval ones are best, but they should not be opposite each other, nor should they reflect a door, otherwise your good fortune will go out of it. To promote harmony between the members of your family, have photos of them around the room, preferably smiling. If you want to find a partner, energize the south-west corner of your living room or bedroom by placing a floor light at least 1.75m high there, and turn it on every evening. Surround yourself with decorations and objects in pairs, such as ducks or birds. To avoid blocking the positive energy in the room, keep everything tidy. Don't accumulate too many unnecessary things. Take a look at every object, and ask yourself, "Do I really need it? Do I really like it?" If the answer is no, get rid of it. Your bedroom You should have the head of your bed placed against a wall, as this gives you a sense of security. Avoid having a bed under a window, as you are exposed to danger and bad energy from outside. If this is impossible, use blinds or heavy curtains to cover the window. Never sleep in a place where you can't see the door--you should always be able to see someone who's coming in. Avoid hanging pictures or lights above your bed, as this leads to a subconscious feeling of threat. Don't put mirrors opposite the bed either, as they "break up" the image, and therefore the relationship reflected in them. Keep lighting low and soft, and decorate... A bed should be put according to the following rules EXCEPT  _  . A) the head of your bed should be placed against a wall B) having a bed under a window should be avoided C) mirrors should not be opposite the bed D) your bed can't face the door for the sake of privacy

A: D