PASSAGE 3
Promptness is important in American business, academic, and social settings. The importance of punctuality is taug_ ht to young children in school. Tardy slops and the use of bells sig_ nal to the child that punctuality and time itself are to be respected. People who keep appointments are considered dependable. If people are late to job interviews, appointments, or classes, they are often vie_ wed as unreliable and irresponsible. In the business world, "time is money" and companies may fine their executives for tardiness to busi_ ness meetings. Of course, it is not always possible to be punctual. Social and business etiquette also provides rules for late arrivals. Calling on the telephone if one is going to be more than a few minute_ s late for schedule appointments is considered polite and is often ex_ pected. Keeping a date of a friend waiting beyond ten to twenty minute_ s is considered rude. On the other hand, arriving thirty minutes late to some parties is acceptable. Respecting deadlines is also important in academic and professional ci_ rcles. It is expected that deadlines for class assignments or business reports will be met. Students who hand in assignments late may be surp_ rised to find that the professor will lower their grades or even refus_ e to grade their work. Whether it is a question of arriving on time or of meeting a deadline, people are culturally conditioned to regulate t_ ime。
31. The best title for this passage is ________。
A. Promptness
B. Time
C. Deadlines
D. Etiquette
32. In the United States the child who must go to bed early, be prompt at school, or bring a tardy slip if he is late_____
A. is learning the importance of time and punctuality in his culture。
B. Is learning to disobey his parents and teachers。
C. Is being punished for disobeying his mother and school officials。
D. Is being punished for playing too much。
33. If a person is late for a business meeting, he may be _____
A. criticized
B. fired
C. made to pay
D. given a pay rise
34. Social etiquette in the United States allows people______
A. to be a few minutes late for interviews and business meetings。
B. to come early to parties
C. to be up to a half-hour late for some parties。
D. to call a date when he is thirty minutes late。
35. The last sentence means ______
A. people everywhere regulate time in the same way。
B. Conditions decide how people spend time。
C. Regular timetable is important in every culture。
D. Different cultures have different customs concerning time。
PASSAGE 4
Urban life has always involved a balancing of opportunities and rewards against dangers and stress; its motivating force is, in the broadest s_ ense, money. Opportunities to make money mean competition and competit_ ion is stressful; it is often at its most intense in the largest cities , where opportunities are greatest. The presence of huge numbers of pe_ ople inevitable involves more conflict, more traveling, the overloading of public services and exposure to those deviants and criminals who are drawn to the rich pickings of great cities. Crime has always flourished in the relative anonymity of urban life, but today's ease of movement makes its control more difficult than ever; there is much evidence that its extent has a direct relationship to the size of communities. City dwellers may become trapped in their homes by the fear of crime around them. As a defense against these developments city dwellers tend to use vari_ ous strategies to try and reduce the pressures upon themselves: contac_ ts with other people are generally made brief and impersonal; doors are kept locked; telephone numbers may be ex-directory; journeys outside th_ e home are usually hurried, rather than a source of pleasure. There are other strategies too, which are positively harmful to the individual; f_ or ex ample, reducing awareness through drugs or alcohol. Furthermore, a_ ll these defensive forms of behavior are harmful to society in general; they cause widespread loneliness and destroy the community's concern for its members. Lack of informal social contact and indifference to the mi_ sfortunes of others, if they are not personally known to oneself, are a_ mongst the major causes of urban crime。
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