somebody standing too close may make you ＂ focus less on what somebody is saying than on how close they are to you ＂.Simple acts like putting an arm around someone you don’t know may seem friendly in China, but they can make us very uncomfortable. People from many European countries such as France and Spain kiss each other on the cheek when they meet, yet to British person, this seems too friendly and＂touch-freely＂. The website explains! ＂The British are not backslappers(拍人后背的人) and generally do not show affection in public＂.
Are British people unfriendly? Far from it. The website adds that they are not
as ＂stand-offish and aloof’ as they may seem, but very friendly and helpful to foreigners. However, remember not to be too close. If you are going to come closer than an arm’s length, please let them know.
1.According to the passage, if you were meeting a British for the first time, it would be polite of you to . A. kiss him/her on the cheek him/her
C. put an arm around him/her
D. slap his/her back
B. keep an arm’s length away from
2.According to the passage, who tend to require more personal space? A. People living in Beijing and people living in Mexico City B. People living in Mumbai and people living in Shenandoah C. People living in Wyoming and people living in New York D. People living in Wyoming and people living in Montana
3.The underlined word ＂stand-offish and aloof＂ in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to . A. cold and indifferent
B. modest and cool
D. independent and strong-willed
C. gentlemanly and kind-hearted
4.What can we conclude from the article?
A. British people like to sit next to other people on empty buses. B. British people usually kiss strangers on the cheek to greet them. C. British people are helpful though they may not appear to be D. British people are delighted to show affection in public.
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【文章大意】本文是一篇说明文，介绍了在不同国家、不同背景下的社会礼仪的不同。
2.D 【解析】细节理解题。根据第三段中的＂In America, New Yorkers often have smaller requirements than residents of western states, like Montana, Shenandoah and Wyoming. ＂可知，生活在人烟稀少的怀俄明州 和蒙大拿州的人需要更多的私人空间，故D项正确。
3.A【解析】词义猜测题。根据画线词后的＂but very friendly and helpful to foreigners＂可知，英国人并不是 像看起来那样冷漠，而是十分友好，由此可知画线词词义，故A项正确。
4.C 【解析】推理判断题。根据最后一段中的＂The website adds that they are not as
‘stand-offish and aloof’ as they may seem, but very friendly and helpful to foreigners.＂可知，尽管英国人看起来冷漠，但其实是十分 友好的，故C项正确。
Passage2（2017届吉林市第一中学高三模考）
体裁 说明文 话题 文化差异 词数 345 难度 建议时间 ★★★☆☆ 7分钟 You get on an almost-empty bus, but the next passenger decides to ignore all the empty seats to sit right next to you. While you are waiting in line at the supermarket, the next customer stands just behind you shouting into his phone.
These are attacks of the personal space invaders(侵略者). Though preferences
for personal space differ from culture to culture, we Britons do love our independence and personal space.
As the British customs website Debrett has said, as a British person, somebody
standing too close may make you ＂focus less on what somebody is saying than on how close they are to you＂. Simple acts like putting an arm around someone you don’t know that well may seem friendly in China, but they can make us very uncomfortable. The ediplomat.com website explains: ＂The British are not back slappers (拍打者) or touchers and generally do not show affection (喜欢) in public.＂
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Being a British person around people from other countries can therefore be full
of problems. People from many European countries such as France and Spain kiss each other on the cheek when they meet, yet to us this seems too friendly and ＂touchy-feely＂.
Simple matters like how close others stand can be problems to Britons who want
to keep their own personal space. Giving advice on how to behave around a British person, Debrett’s says that ＂if you can feel the warmth of their worried breath upon your face, then you’re standing too close＂.
So, are British people unfriendly? No. The ediplomat.com website explains that
we are not as ＂indifferent＂ as we may seem, but ＂very friendly and helpful to foreigners＂. However, we do have different ideas about our own space to many people from other countries. Just let us know if you’re going to come any closer than arm’s length, and you’ll be fine! 5. What is the article mainly about? A.How to make friends with British people. B.Some tips on British table manners.
C.Ways in which British people show affection. D.British people’s preference for personal space.
6. If you were meeting a British person for the first time, it would be polite of you to ______, according to the article. A.kiss him/her on the cheek B.put an arm around him/her
C.keep an arm’s length away from him/her D.slap his/her back or shake his/her hands
7.The underlined word ＂indifferent＂ in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ＂_________＂. A.cold
C.gentlemanlike
D.independent
B.modest
8.What can we conclude from the article?
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A.British people like to sit next to others on empty buses. B.British people are helpful, although they may not appear to be. C.British people do not like staying with other Europeans. D.British people are happy to show affection in public.
2.C【解析】考查推理判断。根据最后一段最后一句＂Just let us know if you’re going to come any closer than arm’s length, and you’ll be fine!＂可知，如果你第一次见一个英国人，离他们一臂的距离远将会是礼貌的。
3.A【解析】考查词义猜测。根据画线句下文可知，英国人对外国人是很友好并热心的，由句中的but推断 画线句句意是：ediplomat.com网站解释说英国人不是他们看上去的那样冷漠，而是友好并乐于助人的。
因此推断画线词indifferent意思是：冷漠的。故选A。
4.B【解析】考查推理判断。根据最后一段第三句＂The ediplomat.com website explains that we are not as ＂indifferent＂ as we may seem, but’very friendly and helpful to foreigners’.＂可知，根据这篇文章，英 国人不像看上去那么冷漠，他们是很友好并乐于助人的。故选B。
Passage 3（2017届北京市海淀区高三上学期统一考试）
体裁 说明文 话题 科学家发现距今37亿年前的化石 Old Fossils
Scientists have found what they think is probably the oldest fossil on Earth,
词数 难度 正确率 420 ★★★★☆ a remnant of life from 3.7 billion years ago when Earth’s skies were orange and its oceans green.
In a newly melted part of Greenland, Australian scientists found the leftover
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structure from a community of microbes（微生物）that lived on an ancient seafloor. Based on their analysis of the fossils, the researchers determined that they are 220 million years older than those discovered in Western Australia, which were 3.48 billion years old.
The discovery shows life may have formed quicker and more easily than once thought,
about half a billion years after Earth formed. And that may also give hope for life forming elsewhere, such as Mars, said study co-author Martin VanKranendonk of the University of New South Wales and director of the Australian Center for Astrobiology. ＂It gives us an idea how our planet evolved and how life gained a foothold,＂ VanKranendonk said.
Scientists had thought it would take at least half a billion years for life to
form after the molten Earth started to cool a bit, but this shows it could have happened quicker, he said. That’s because the newly found fossil is far too complex to have developed soon after the planet’s first life forms, he said.
In an outcrop of rocks that used to be covered with ice and snow which melted
after an exceptionally warm spring, the Australian team found stromatolites（叠层石）, which are layered structures that are often produced by a community of microbes. The stromatolites were about 1 to 4 centimeters high.
＂It is like the house left behind made by the microbes,＂ VanKranendonk said. ＂
Scientists used the layers of ash from volcanoes and tiny zircon（锆石） with uranium and estimated that they date back to 3.7 billion years ago.＂
The dating seems about right, said Abigail Allwood, a NASA astrobiologist who found
the previous oldest fossil, from 3.48 billion years ago, in Australia. But Allwood said she is not completely convinced that what VanKranendonk’s team found once was alive. She said the evidence wasn’t conclusive enough that it was life and not a geologic quirk（地质巧合）. ＂It would be nice to have more evidence, but in these rocks that’s a lot to ask,＂ Allwood said in an email.
1. The underlined words ＂gained a foothold＂ in Paragraph 3 mean______.
A.continued C.increased
B.changed D.Started
2. We can learn from Paragraph 4______.
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