「英语阅读进阶版」When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do 内附音频

2018-12-12 10:59:18 英語週報

欢迎大家来到“英语阅读”，本栏目旨在提升各位同学的阅读、听力水平及阅读理解能力，内容精选自《英语周报》高中阅读专版。

When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do

——高中进阶 (2018-2019学年第9期) 1版

Piles of rubbish were scattered (散落) all over the floor. A mountain of toilet paper was heaped in the bathroom. Rude messages were scribbled (胡写乱画) in every page of a guest book. When the owner of an Airbnb rental walked into his apartment in Japan, he couldn't believe his eyes! He had expected tenants (租客) to keep it neat and tidy. How could he imagine that the three Chinese students on holiday would make an awful mess in the room just in five days? They even told the owner, "We spent money on a place to live, not to clean. This isn't our home. We don't have to tidy up for you."

Maybe the young tourists had wished it was more like at home, with others to clear up their mess. Actually, however, in a foreign country you have to do things differently.

I remember greeting some Chinese students in the U.K. who were visiting my school. They too left food and rubbish on the floor of rooms on the first day. It was a rather fine Victorian (维多利亚时代的) hotel frequently used by business travellers and celebrities (名人). The hotel manager wanted the students to leave the next day. I had Chinese friends and colleagues, so I knew the students were good young people. They were just used to leaving things a bit untidy; they were not deliberately attempting to annoy the hotel management. Eventually I convinced the manager that the students merely had forgotten they were in another country and were behaving as if they were at home. But they should have known better.

You might remember your first day at school. It was probably a bit traumatic (给人留下阴影的) with all those new rules. We all have to learn to adapt. A trip to IKEA, the famous Swedish furniture store, provides a good lesson. Apart from flat-pack furniture (盒装组合家具), the store is well-known for the authentic (地道的) Swedish dishes on offer in the restaurant. What is special about that? At the end of your meal, you need to tidy your table and stack (堆放) your tray on a trolley. Everyone makes sure that the table is clean and ready for the next diner, which makes the service very efficient in the store.

Is this a big challenge for shoppers in IKEA stores in China? As far as I can see, the answer is "No." Everybody understands what needs to be done because they learn the rules by observing other people and behave themselves. That is also true wherever you go.

教案

PRE-READING

1. What does a typical home in Japan look like?

2. The pictures were taken in a Japanese apartment. What do you think happened?

WHILE READING

Sentences

1. Eventually I convinced the manager that the students merely had forgotten they were in another country and were behaving as if^① they were at home. But they should have known^② better.

① as if引导方式状语从句，意为“好像，似乎”。一般情况下，从句用虚拟语气；但如果从句中所陈述的情况很可能是事实，也可用陈述语气。

e.g. My grandpa runs fast as if he were a young man.

The milk smells as if it has gone bad.

② “should + 不定式的完成式”意为“本应该做……”，指“本应该发生而实际上没有发生的动作或行为”。其否定式则表示“本不应该发生但实际上发生了的动作或行为”。

e.g. You should have started earlier. You would not feel so stressed now.

You should not have taken away the dictionary. I wanted to look up a word in it.

2. Everyone makes sure^① that the table is clean and ready for the next diner, which^② makes the service very efficient in the store.

① make sure (of sth./that …): to check that sth. has been done 确保，保证

e.g. We are making final arrangements to make sure that tomorrow's meeting goes well.

② which引导非限制性定语从句，指代前面的整个句子，不可用that代替。

e.g. Serena Williams was beaten by a 20-year-old Japanese player, which was against all expectations.

Vocabulary

Complete each sentence using one word from the box in its correct form. Note that there is one word more than you need and you can use each word only once.

heap mess deliberately attempt annoy convince

1. My mother seemed __________ with me for staying up late.

2. A thief __________ to escape through a window last night.

3. I tried my best, but it's difficult to __________ him to change his mind.

4. He thought it was __________ to leave his name off the list.

5. The juice made a terrible __________ on her evening gown.

Key:

1. annoyed 2. attempted 3. convince

4. deliberate 5. mess

Translation

1. 你本应该在客人到来之前把自己房间收拾好的。(tidy)

2. 在节假日期间，请务必确保关闭门窗，切断电源。(sure)

3. 这个少年在海上漂流了49天后奇迹生还，让所有人都很惊讶。(which)

4. 无论你选择在哪里居住，都是有利有弊的。(wherever)

Possible answers:

1. You should have tidied (up) your own room before the guests arrived.

2. Please make sure that the windows and doors are closed and that electricity is cut off during the holidays.

3. The teenager miraculously survived after spending 49 days floating at sea, which surprised everyone.

4. Wherever you choose to live, there are both advantages and disadvantages.

Comprehension

Choose the best answer.

1. What are the similarities between the Chinese students in Japan and those in the U.K.?

A. They both rented local houses on the internet.

B. They were found to have messed up their rented houses before leaving.

C. They both annoyed the owners of their rented houses.

D. They both apologized for their unacceptable behavior.

2. The author cited IKEA as an example to show that ______.

A. the company develops multiculturalism (多元文化)

B. the food in its store is authentic

C. Chinese people behave better in IKEA than in other stores

D. Chinese people are able to learn rules

3. According to the article, the author is ______ the Chinese students who made a mess in Japan and the U.K.

A. critical of B. tolerant of C. supportive of D. indifferent to

Key:

1-3 CDB

AFTER READING

A question for further discussion:

Each country has its own customs. There are many cultural differences between China and other countries. Have they ever got you into trouble when you traveled abroad? Share your experience with your classmates.