A
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 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 serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive(敏感) Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer 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 experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.
However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that 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 respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words.
By Jack
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】1. B 2. C 3. B 4. D 5. D
【解析】
【分析】本文是一篇记叙文。文章以自己的经历讲述了中西方文化中和老年人相处的方式的不同。
【1题详解】
细节理解题。根据第二段中的I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly可知，杰克很快地给这对夫妇端来了饭菜，因为他尊重老人。故选B。
【2题详解】
细节理解题。根据第二段中的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。故选C。
【3题详解】
细节理解题。根据第三段中的In my village in China, people are proud of being old可知，在作者家乡，人们以年老为荣。故选B。
【4题详解】
细节理解题。根据最后一段中的After that, I changed the way I had with older people可知，这次经历之后Jack改变了与老年人相处的方式。故选D。
【5题详解】
细节理解题。根据第二段最后一句After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry可知，作者解释之后，夫妇不再生气，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，作者不再通过语言表达自己的感受，B选项不对；根据第二段中的I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife可知，作者亲自回去道歉C选项也不对。故正确答案为D。
