A
Every country has certain cultural patterns making it unique. Of course, habits and customs between cultures and countries tend to overlap(重叠). The popularity of social media, for instance, ignores borders and breaks down cultural differences. Technology has made the world a much smaller and culturally similar place. However, when looking at a foreign country, we will always find differences between our traditions and theirs. Young Italians and young Americans, for example, though alike in many respects, have also some noticeable differences, especially when it comes to work, pastimes and sports.
Most American teens have part-time jobs through high school and college. Youths in Italy tend not to. The reasons behind this are multifaceted. It is, to begin with, rather hard in Italy to find the type of part-time jobs students usually take up. Moreover, there is also a different cultural attitude to take into consideration, especially when thinking of certain parts of Italy. Young Italians like to enjoy life to the full and feel there will be time to work once they become adults, therefore lacking interest in finding odd jobs while still in school. Like the old saying goes, some Italians work to live, while some Americans often live to work.
In a lot of ways, young Italians and Americans spend their free time in a similar fashion. Listening to music, watching movies, hanging out, practicing sports and surfing the Internet are all common ways to pass some free time. Italians, especially, make a point of going out and being social, often choosing between pizzeria or birrerie (place for pizza or beer), which stays open late. Italians often pile into a couple of cars and go out in a big group. In general, American teens participate in a lot of extracurricular (课外的) activities, many often through school, while Italians may not take part in so many.
When going out, Italian teens tend to meet and gather on the streets of their cities or towns, something not as common in the United States, especially in highly populated areas. This very Italian habit can be linked to the urban arrangement of Italian towns. Many of them date back thousands of years and feature central piazzas(广场) and areas built around historical sites that have now become gathering places for the young. If you’re in Italy, don’t be surprised by the sight of hundreds gathered in a piazza or on the street, laughing and drinking the night away.
【文章大意】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要说明了意大利年轻人和美国年轻人在对待工作、娱乐方面的一些明显的差异。
1. The passage is mainly about ________.
A. the unique lifestyles shared by American and Italian teens
B. the relationship between young people of America and Italy
C. some customs and habits of the Americans and Italians
D. some differences in tradition between young Americans and Italians
【解析】选D。主旨大意题。根据第一段可知, 意大利年轻人和美国年轻人虽然在很多方面都很相似, 但也有一些明显的差异, 尤其是在工作、娱乐和体育方面。文章主要内容围绕着美国和意大利年轻人的一些传统差异展开, 故选D。
2. By saying “some Italians work to live, while some Americans often live to work”, the author most probably wants to tell us that ________.
A. Italians have a better life attitude toward working
B. Americans are more diligent and thus live a better life
C. Americans and Italians both find it hard to locate a satisfying job
D. Italians and Americans have different choices regarding work
【解析】选D。句意理解题。根据第二段可知意大利年轻人是为了生活而去工作, 而美国的年轻人活着是为了工作, 作者想要通过这句话告诉我们意大利人和美国人在工作上有不同的选择。故选D。
3. According to paragraph 3, which of the following statements is true?
A. American teens practice sports and surf the Internet to pass time.
B. Italian youths take an active part in extracurricular activities.
C. American teens like to drive out and social together in big groups.
D. Italian youths enjoy pizza and beer because they are cheap.
【解析】选A。细节理解题。根据第三段可知在很多方面, 年轻的意大利人和美国人以相似的方式度过他们的空闲时间。听音乐、看电影、出去玩、锻炼身体和上网都是打发空闲时间的常见方式。美国青少年通过运动和上网来打发时间是正确的。故选A。
4. If there is one more paragraph in this passage, what will it most probably be about?
A. The working conditions of the young Americans and Italians.
B. The differences in practicing sports between teens of the two nations.
C. The central piazzas and areas built around historical sites in Italy.
D. The urban arrangement of the highly populated American cities.
【解析】选B。推理判断题。根据第一段可知作者想要说明意大利年轻人和美国年轻人在工作、娱乐和运动方面的差异;第二段内容谈论了工作方面的差异;第三、四段谈论了娱乐方面, 因此接下来会谈到运动方面的差异。故如果这篇文章还有一段话, 最有可能是关于两国青少年在运动方面的差异。故选B。
【知识拓展】长难句分析
1. Moreover, there is also a different cultural attitude to take into consideration, especially when thinking of certain parts of Italy.
分析: to take into consideration是定语, 修饰attitude;when引导时间状语从句。
翻译: 而且, 还有一个要考虑到的是不同的文化态度, 尤其是当考虑到意大利的某些地区时。
2. Italians, especially, make a point of going out and being social, often choosing between pizzeria or birrerie (place for pizza or beer), which stays open late.
分析: choosing. . . 是伴随状语;which引导定语从句。
翻译: 意大利人尤其重视出门社交, 常常去闭店晚的pizzeria或birrerie(吃披萨或喝啤酒的地方)。
