Successful people in international business understand the cultures of other cou
题型：不详难度：来源：
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 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.
小题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
小题2:The act of many people buying chocolate of Switzerland shows the role of ________. | A．manners | B．values | C．attitudes | D．customs |
小题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 |
小题4:The author’s purpose of writing this article is to tell people ___________ | A．how to take a right attitude in business | | B．how to avoid misunderstandings in business | | C．how to use a local language in business | | D．how to act politely and properly in business |
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答案
小题1:B
小题2:C
小题3:C
小题4:B |
解析
成功的生意人之所以能取得成功，一个重要的原因在于他们理解不同民族的文化，并学会了根据不同的文化而改变自己的行为，即没有“民族优越感”。那么，怎样才能避免每个人心中由来已久的“民族优越感”呢？本文就语言，态度和价值观及风俗习惯等几个方面提出了一些建议。
小题1:细节理解题。由第二自然段中的First, people can communicate easily一句可知本题选B。
小题2:推理判断题。根据values and attitudes中第二句可知本题选C。
小题3:主旨大意题。由文章的主题段——第二自然段大意可知本题选C。
小题4:推理判断题。根据第二自然段的最后一句可知本题选B。 |
举一反三
Throughout the history of the arts,the nature of creativity has remained constant to artists.No matter what objects they select,artists are to bring forth new forces and forms that cause change—to find poetry where no one has ever seen or experienced it before.
Landscape(风景) is another unchanging element of art.It can be found from ancient times through the 17th-century Dutch painters to the 19th-century romanticists and impressionists.In the 1970s Alfred Leslie,one of the new American realists,continued this practice.Leslie sought out the same place where Toomas Cole,a romanticist,had produced paintings of the same scene a century and a half before.Unlike Cole who insists on a feeling of loneliness and the idea of finding peace in nature,Lealie paints what he actually sees.In his paintings,there is no particular change in emotion,and he includes ordinary things like the highway in the background.He also takes advantage of the latest developments of color photography(摄影术) to help both the eye and the memory when he improves his painting back in his workroom.
Besides,all art begs the age-old question:What is real?Each generation of artists has shown their understanding of reality in one form or another.The impressionists saw reality in brief emotional effects,the realists in everyday subjects and in forest scenes,and the Cro-Magnon cave people in their naturalistic drawings of the animals in the ancient Forests.To sum up,understanding reality is a necessary struggle for artists of all periods.
Over thousands of years the function of the arts has remained relatively constant.Past or present,Eastern or Western,the arts are a basic part of our immediate experience.Many and different are the faces of art,and together they express the basic need and hope of human beings.
小题1:The underlined word “poetry” most probably means______.| A．an object for artistic creation | | B．a collection of poems | | C．an unusual quality | | D．a natural scene |
小题2:Leslie’s paintings are extraordinary because______.| A．they are close in style to works in ancient times | | B．they look like works by 19th-century painters | | C．they draw attention to common things in life | | D．they depend heavily on color photography |
小题3:What is the author’s opinion of artistic reality?| A．It will not be found in future works of art. | | B．It does not have a long-lasting standard. | | C．It is expressed in a fixed artistic form. | | D．It is lacking in modern words of art. |
小题4:What does the author suggest about the arts in the last paragraph?| A．They express people’s curiosity about the past. | | B．They make people interested in everyday experience. | | C．They are considered important for variety in form. | | D．They are regarded as a mirror of the human situation. |
小题5:Which of the following is the main topic of the passage?| A．History of the arts. | | B．Basic questions of the arts. | | C．New developments in the arts. | | D．Use of modern technology in the arts.四、写作(共两节，满分35分) |
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The summer I was ten,my mother decided to bring us to the world of art.My brother and I were not very excited when we realized what my mother meant.What she meant was not that we could take drawing classes or painting classes but that we would have to spend one afternoon a week with her at the Fine Arts Museum.Before each visit to the museum,she made us read about artists and painting styles(风格).It was almost as bad as being in school.Who wants to spend the summer thinking about artists when you could be with your friends at the swimming pool?
First we had to read about ancient Egyptians(古埃及人)and their strange way of painting faces and then go to look at them at the museum.My 12-year-old brother thought this was so funny,but I was not interested.Later we had to learn about artists in the Middle Ages who painted people wearing strange long clothing.We had to look at pictures of fat babies with wings and curly(卷曲的)hair and with no clothes on flying around the edges of paintings.I certainly couldn’t see what was so great about art.
On our last visit to the museum,something happened when I saw a painting by a woman called Mary.In it,a woman was reading to a child.The colors were soft and gentle,and you could tell by the mother’s expression how happy she was just to be with the child.I couldn’t stop looking at this painting!I wanted to see every painting Mary had ever made!It was really worth looking at so many paintings to find a painter who could interest me so much.
小题1:The aim of the mother’s plan was to ________.| A．take them to visit the museum | | B．introduce them to the world of art | | C．ask them to read about artists | | D．show them different painting styles |
小题2:What was the writer’s experience in the museum before the last visit?| A．She came to feel her mother’s love. | | B．She liked many paintings. | | C．She hardly enjoyed herself. | | D．She could understand the pictures of fat babies. |
小题3:What made the writer go through a change that summer?| A．One of Mary’s paintings. | | B．A strange way of painting. | | C．Artists in the Middle Ages. | | D．Her mother’s instruction. |
小题4:From the text,we can see________.| A．the importance of curiosity | | B．the effect of art | | C．the value of learning | | D．the power of family education |
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When former American President Bill Clinton travelled to South Korea to visit President Kim Young Sam,he repeatedly referred to the Korean president’s wife as Mrs.Kim.By mistake, President Clinton’s advisers thought that Koreans have the same naming customs as the Japanese. Clinton had not been told that,in Korea,wives keep their family names.President Kim Young Sam’s wife was named Sohn Myong Suk.Therefore,she should be addressed(称谓) as Mrs.Sohn.
President Clinton arrived in Korea directly after leaving Japan and had not changed his culture gears.His failure to follow Korean customs gave the impression that Korea was not as important to him as Japan.
In addition to Koreans,some Asian husbands and wives do not share the same family names.This practice often puzzles(使困惑) English-speaking teachers when talking with a pupil’s parents.They become puzzled about the student’s correct last name.Placing the family name first is common among a number of Asian cultures.
Mexican naming customs are different as well.When a woman marries,she keeps her family name and adds her husband’s name after the word de(of).This affects(影响) how they fill in forms in the United States.When requested to fill in a middle name,they generally write the father’s family name.But Mexicans are addressed by the family name of the mother.This often causes puzzlement.
Here are a few ways to deal with such difficult situations:don’t always think that a married woman uses her husband’s last name.Remember that in many Asian cultures,the order of first and last names is reversed(颠倒).Ask which name a person would prefer to use.If the name is difficult to pronounce,admit it,and ask the person to help you say it correctly.
小题1:The story of Bill Clinton is used to______.| A．improve US-Korean relations | | B．introduce the topic of the text | | C．describe his visit to Korea | | D．tell us how to address a person |
小题2:The word “gears” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to______.| A．action plans | B．naming customs | | C．travel maps | D．thinking patterns |
小题3:When a woman marries in Korea,she______.| A．continues to use her family name | | B．uses her husband’s given name | | C．shares her husband’s family name | | D．adds her husband’s given name to hers |
小题4:To address a married woman properly,you’d better______.| A．use her middle name | | B．use her husband’s first name | | C．ask her which name she likes | | D．change the order of her names |
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In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum(highest) rent that a landlord can charge for an apartment. Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartments. Their rent cannot increase; therefore, they are not in danger of losing their homes. However, the critics say that after a long time, rent control may have negative effects. Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits. Therefore, they invest in other businesses where they can increase their profits(利润). They do not invest（投资） in new buildings which would also be rent—controlled. As a result, new apartments are not built. Many people who need apartments cannot find any. According to the critics, the result of rent control is a shortage of apartments in the city.
Some theorists argue that the minimum（lowest） wage law can cause problems in the same way. The federal（联邦） government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers. The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled, low—paying jobs. However, if the minimum is high, employers may hire fewer workers. They will replace workers with machinery. Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases. Thus, critics claim, an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment. Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage.
Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity. Because of the law, workers cannot sell their services for less than the minimum. Furthermore, employers cannot force workers to accept jobs at unfair wages.
Economic theory predicts the results of economic decisions such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage. The predictions may be correct only if “other things are equal”. Economists do not agree on some of the predictions. They also do not agree on the value of different decisions. Some economists support a particular decision while others criticize it. Economists do agree, however, that there are no simple answers to economic questions.
小题1:There is the possibility that setting maximum rent may . | A．cause a shortage of apartments | | B．worry those who rent apartments as homes | | C．increase the profits of landlords | | D．encourage landlords to invest in building apartment |
小题2:According to the critics, rent control . | A．will always benefit those who rent apartments | | B．is totally unnecessary | | C．will eventually bring negative effects | | D．is necessary at any time |
小题3:Some theorists believe the problem of unemployment will arise . | A．if the minimum wage is set too high | | B．if the minimum wage is set too low | | C．if the workers are unskilled | | D．if the maximum wage is set |
小题4:Which of the following statements is NOT true? | A．The results of economic decisions can not always be predicted. | | B．Minimum wage can not always protect employees. | | C．Economic theory can predict the results of economic decisions if other factors are not changing. | | D．Economic decisions should not be based on economic theory. |
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The birthrate in Europe has been in a steady decrease since the 1960s. European countries, realizing crisis is at hand, are providing great encouragement for parents to create more babies in the 21st century.
Affairs Ministry concluded last year that, 11 cash encouragement, some women just don’t want to be 12 holding the baby. “What we know is that it’s good for the 13___ if men and women share the burden of having children,” says Soren Kindlund, family policy adviser at the Swedish ministry. 14 Swedish parents can take their paid leave as they wish, men use a mere 12% of it; 60% of fathers do not take even a(n) 15 _ day off work.
Experts fear that the tendency for women to use most of the parental leave could make employers 16 to give young women the permanent jobs they need to qualify for paid maternity leave (产假). In January, Sweden decided to allow new fathers two months’ paid leave, with a warming: use it or 17 it.
Kindlund admits that men are under 18 to stay at work, even though parental pay comes out of the public purse. “It’s not popular among bosses and perhaps with other men in the workplace,” he says. “But it’s good for the father and for the child if they can 19 a relationship.”
In Norway, a(n) 20 policy has worked wonders. 70% of dads in Norway now take parental leave, and the birthrate of 1.85 children per woman is one of the highest in Europe.
11. A. is spite of B. at the cost of
C. in addition to D. due to
12. A. sent B. left C. caught D. seen
13. A. birthrate B. income C. health D. spirit
14. A. Just as B. Only if C. Even though D. Now that
15. A. one B. mere C. only D. single
16. A. willing B. reluctant C. likely D. unable
17. A. reserve B. misuse C. ignore D. lose
18. A. discussion B. attack C. control D. pressure
19. A. make out B. add up C. build up D. set aside
20. A. impersonal B. similar C. severe D. global |
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