One morning, Tina and Wesley both wake up with sore throats and stuffy noses. They have the same symptoms, but they react very differently. While Tina reaches for water and vitamins, her husband, Wesley, reached for the phone. "I'd better make a doctor's appointment," he says. Why do these two Chinese people react to sickness so differently? Tina grew up in the U.S. Wesley grew up in Taiwan. And they have discovered that differences between Chinese and American cultures extend to every area of life. Even sickness and health. When Westerners experience pain, they usually express their discomfort. Most Asians don't. This creates a challenge for American nurses who care for Asian patients in the U.S. How do they know if that calm, quiet patient is really hurting? They have to keep asking their Asian patients how they feel. In addition, Americans usually don't want sickness to slow them down. Unlike Chinese people, Americans often don't take time off work to rest and get well. They'd rather sneeze and cough all day at the office. Americans who get sick in Asia may protest when Chinese friends suggest they go to the hospital. "I'm not that sick!" they may say. In the U.S., only very sick or injured patients go to hospital. People go to a doctor's office for less serious problems. Like Tina, Americans more often turn to vitamins or over-the-counter drugs to help them get well. Chinese people, however, often head straight for the doctor when they get sick, like Wesley did. They want a prescription to treat their sickness before it gets serious. Chinese patients often just trust their doctors to give them the information they need. Most Americans, however, ask their doctors lots of questions and do research. American patients want to know everything they can about their condition. So, are one culture's attitudes toward health better than the other's? Perhaps not. Tina and Wesley will both recover from their colds. And today, doctors all over the world are sharing treatment methods with each other. In health,... Why do American nurses find it difficult to care for Asian patients? A) They are so serious and never smile. B) They keep silent about their discomfort. C) They go to hospital for slight illness. D) They are not actually hurting.
B

My grandfather was a teacher. He was the headmaster of a school for boys between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. I know that he was a kind and gentle man at heart, because when I was young (and he was old), he gave me presents and seated me on his knees, and told me stories. But I believe the boys at his school were afraid of him. At school, when he walked into a classroom full of noisy boys, those boys went red in the faces, and looked down at their shoes. If a boy brought him poor, careless work, which was not the best that boys could do, my grandfather picked up the boy's work and threw it across the classroom, shouting, "Do it all again, and bring it back early in the morning!" If the boy was late, or if he forgot to bring the work, he had to do it again. My grandfather never forgot. He was a very different man at school, from the man I saw day by day in his own home. My grandfather didn't like to receive _ . A) worse work than he could do himself B) work that was not as good as the boys could do C) work that the boys could not do D) the most careful work that the boys could do
B

In America, parents tend to encourage their children to develop their potential to the fullest extent. Fathers and mothers frequently teach their children both ambition and the confidence necessary to work toward their goals. American parents are always active in concentrating on what their kids can do, not what they can't. As a result, millions of American boys and girls grow up hoping to become actors and athletes, diplomats and doctors. Many of them even want to become president. American parents often encourage their children to become involved in extra activities of all types at school, such as student government, sports and music. They believe that only through taking part in these activities can their children become mature young adults. As we all know, schoolwork is important. But parents should realize that the social skills their children learn form natural conversations with each other are as important as schoolwork and the skills they will need in the future work. What's more important in their work is that their children should have a sound knowledge of physics or the ability to communicate effectively. As a rule, Chinese parents don't educate their children about the same kind of ambition and confidence as Americans do, nor do they encourage the same level of participation in extra activities. Children are typically advised to study hard and pass exams. They have to spend a lot of time in doing much schoolwork every day. It is a great waste of time to do so. Now more and more Chinese parents have recognized that they should pay attention to developing the potential of their children. I hope that leaders in Chinese educational circles should take some measures to develop the potential of their children. I am very confident about it. According to the passage, Chinese parents _ . A) know more than American parents to educate their children B) owning ambition and confidence is necessary and important C) pay much more attention to their children's fine future D) don't encourage their children to participate in extra activities
D

For a commuter rushito catch a train, a minute can mean the difference between dinner with the family and foods in the microwave. What most passengers don't realize is that their minute is already there. Every commuter train that departs from New York Cityabout 900 a d leaves a minute later than scheduled. If the timetable says 8:14, the train will actually leave at 8:15.In other words, if you think you have only a minute to get that trainwell, relax. You have two. The courtesy minute , in place for decades and published only in private timetables for employees, is meant for those who need the extra time to get off the platform and onto the train. "If everyone knows they get an extra minute, they're going to waste time doing unimportant things," explained Marjorie Anders, a spokeswoman for the Metro-North Railroad. Told of this article, Ms. Anders laughed. "Don't blow our cover!"she said. Entirely hidden from the riding public, the secret minute is an odd departure from the railroad culture of down-to-the-second accuracy. The railroad industry helped invent the concept* of standard time, and time zones were established in the United States in the 1880s, 35 years before they were written into law. And most commuters know their train by the accurate minute it departs. The trains quickly make up the minute:at all other stops, the public timetable is carried out. The courtesy minute does not exist at commuter railroads in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, or San Francisco. But in New York, the secret minute dates back decades. "That's been done forever, from my knowledge," said Jack Swanberg, 70, an unofficial historian of Metro-North. "I was the trainmaster starting in 1970 and I'm sure it's been the case since 1870 for all I know." The courtesy minute was hidden from the public to _ . A) prevent the passengers' idleness B) .help invent the concept of standard time C) show the railroad company's patience D) follow the ancient tradition of New York City
A