評論
打印
Passage Two
Questions 57 to 61 are based in the following passage.
The English have the reputation of being very different from all other nationalities. It is claimed that living on an island separated from the rest of Europe has much to do with it. Whatever the reasons, it may be fairly stated that the Englishman has developed some attitudes and habits distinguishing him from other nationalities.
Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, and reserved person among people he knows well. Before strangers he often seems inhibited, even embarrassed. You have only to witness a railway compartment any morning or evening to see the truth. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or dozing(打盹)in a corner, and no one speaks. An English wit once suggested to overseas visitors, "On entering a railway compartment shake hands with all the passengers." Needless to say, he was not being serious. There is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior, which, if broken, makes the person immediately the object of suspicion.
It is well known that the English seldom show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion etc. Of course, an Englishman feels no less than any other nationality. Imagine a man commenting on the great beauty of a young girl. A man of more emotional temperament might describe her as "a marvelous jewel", while the Englishman will flatly state "Um, she's all right." An Englishman may recommend a highly successful and enjoyable film to friends by commenting, "It's not bad." The overseas visitors must not be disappointed by this apparent lack of interest. They must realize that "all right", "not bad" are very often used with the sense of "first class", "excellent". This special use of language is particularly common in English.
57. One explanation for the different character of English people is that ________.
[A] they are geographically isolated from the European continent
[B] they have nothing to do with the other Europeans
[C] they like to keep quiet among their acquaintances
[D] they tend to be reserved by nature
58. The word "inhibited" (Line 2, Para. 2) in this passage probably means ________ .
[A] unable to have good manners [C] able to act properly
[B] unable to express and relax freely [D] able to talk freely
59. According to the passage, on entering a railway compartment, an overseas visitor is expected to ________ .
[A] inquire about the code of behavior in the train [C] shake hands with the person he knows
[B] shake hands with all the passengers [D] behave like an Englishman
60. The English way of commenting on something or somebody suggests that ________.
[A] the English are modest in most circumstances
[B] the English feel no less than any other nationality
[C] the English tend to display less emotion than they feel
[D] the English don't take a strong interest in making comment
61. What does the passage mainly discuss?
[A] The differences between the English and the other Europeans.
[B] The different character of the Englishman and its reason.
[C] The reasons for English people's shyness.
[D] The code of behavior of the nationalities in Europe.
