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A. people didn’t have a happy family reunion B. it was hard for a family to gather together at Christmas C. people could travel freely during the holiday D. the true spirit of Christmas couldn’t be found 4. What would be the best title for the passage? A. Christmas Decoration B. Holidays in the West C. Christmas in England D. Father Christmas F Successful people in international business understand the cultures of other countries and learn to change their practices in different cultures. They understand the importance of avoiding business decisions based on misconceptions – mistaken ideas. One cause of misconceptions is ethnocentrism, the belief that one’s own culture’s way of doing things is better than the way of other cultures. It’s ethnocentrism that leads to failure in international business. To avoid ethnocentrism, it’s necessary to study the different elements(组成部分) of culture: language, values and attitudes, and customs and manners. Language A knowledge of the local language can help international business people in four ways. First, people can communicate directly. Second, people are usually more open in their communication with someone who speaks their language. Third, an understanding of the language allows people to infer meanings that are not said directly. Finally, knowing the language helps people to understand the culture better. Values and Attitudes Values are people’s basic beliefs about the difference between right and wrong, good and bad. An attitude is a way of thinking or acting. Values and attitudes influence international business. For example, many people in the United States believe that chocolate from Switzerland is better than chocolate from other countries, and they buy a lot of it. Customs and manners Customs are common social practices. Manners are ways of acting that the society believes are polite. For example, in the United States, it is the custom to have salad (色拉) before the main course at dinner, not after. It’s not acceptable to talk with food in mouth at table. Failure to understand the customs and manners of other countries will bring difficulty selling their products. Orange juice as a breakfast drink of an American company in France doesn’t sell well because the French don’t usually drink juice with breakfast. 1. A knowledge of the local language allows international business people _____. A. to be more open with their customers B. to communicate without outside help C. to express their thoughts indirectly D. to have a better idea of their own culture 2. The act of many people buying chocolate of Switzerland shows the role of ___. A. manners B. values C. attitudes D. customs 3. What would be the best title for the text? A. Misconceptions in Business B. Basic Beliefs in Business C. International Business Culture D. Successful International Business Ⅳ、阅读与表达 (共5分，每小题1分) 阅读短文, 根据其内容回答问题。 Every year, 40 days before Easter, Brazil stops. It’s a time for the carnival! For four days from Saturday to Tuesday, Brazilians sing and dance in dance halls and clubs, on the streets and beaches, or anywhere else. The carnival takes place in towns and villages all over Brazil and other Catholic countries, but Rio de Janeiro is seen as the Carnival Capital of the world. Carnival is the last big event in the summer in Brazil. It may begin 40 days before Easter, but the city begins getting ready for the carnival several weeks before that. Edinburgh Festival: The heart of Scottish culture. The Edinburgh International Festival is a rich programme of classical music, theatre, opera and dance in theatres in Edinburgh, over a three-week period in August. The festival began in 1947 to try to use the arts to encourage ‘the flowering of the human spirit’. From the start, ordinary people began to put on shows of their own that weren’t part of the official Festival, and soon this programme became the Edinburgh Festival ‘Fringe’, which is a separate programme of small shows. Korean New Year: Solnal Korean celebrate the lunar (农历)New Year， with other East Asia countries. Solnal is a time for families, so Koreans try to return to their homes. On New Year’s Eve people put things on their walls and doors to protect their families from bad spirits arriving with the New Year. Then On New Year’s Day, people put on traditional clothes and put food on a special table for the dead members of their family. Then the family sits down to a traditional breakfast of ‘took-guk’ —a thick beef soup with rice cakes and green onions. Everyone must eat in order of age, and everyone becomes one year older on New Year’s Day. The rest of the day is for playing, especially for children. Families enjoy activities such as kite-flying, see-saw(跷跷板)and dancing. The New Year is a time for Koreans to celebrate family and tradition. 1. Does the carnival begin after Easter? 2. Is the Edinburgh Festival in August or in January? 3. How do Brazilians celebrate the carnival? 4. Why do Koreans put things on their walls and doors on New Year’s Eve? 5. What is the passage mainly about? (责任编辑：admin) |