老”字趣谈
每个国家都有各自的文化习惯，而这种文化上的差异往往会引起一定的误会，不过只 要熟悉对方的风俗习惯做到入乡随俗，一切就 OK 啦!
When my family moved to America in 2010 from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect(尊敬) elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States. I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serv ing food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so q uickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always resp ect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, w ho happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how s ensitive(敏感) Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked ba ck to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they unders tood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no lo nger angry. In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and e xperience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn fr om their rich experience. However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” s hows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many pe ople try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and w omen put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant tha t I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.
After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t res pect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through word s. By Jack
根据以上短文内容，然后从每题所给的四个选项中选择最佳选项。
1. Jack brought the couple their food very fast because _______. A. the manager asked him to do so B. he respected the elderly C. the couple wanted him to do so D. he wanted more pay
2. When Jack called the couple “elderly”, they became _______. A. nervous B. satisfied C. unhappy D. excited
3. In Jack’s hometown, _______. A. people dislike being called “old” B. people are proud of being old C. many people reach the age of seventy or eighty D. the elderly are the first to get food in restaurants
4. After this experience, Jack _______. A. lost his job in the restaurant B. made friends with the couple C. no longer respected the elderly D. changed his way with older people
5. Which of the following is TRUE? A. The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got. B. Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience. C. The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple. D. From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture.
【答案及解析】
1. 选 B。 根据第 2 段中的 I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly 可知答案。 2. 选 C。根据第 2 段中的 As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure 可 知他们听到 Jack 称他们为老者时，一点也不高兴。 3. 选 B。根据第 3 段中的 In my village in China, people are proud of being old 可知 答案。 4. 选 D。根据最后一段中的 After that, I changed the way I had with older people 可 知答案。 5. 选 D。 根据第 2 段最后一句 After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angr y 可知 A 选项不对;根据文章最后一句 but now I don’t show my feelings through words 可知 B 选项不对;根据第 2 段中的 I then waked back to the table and apologized to the wife 可知 C 选项也不对，故正确答案为 D。
| 中考政策 | 中考状元 | 中考饮食 | 中考备考辅导 | 中考复习资料 |