《英语III(1)》阅读理解4

Passage 4

     In these days of globalisation, most medium-sized companies find that they do business with people from all over the world.

Business practices can vary from one country to another, and to avoid seeming rude, it is essential to learn what the conventions are in the country where you are working as well as learning some of the language. People have different attitudes to things such as time and punctuality, for example. The British and the Americans tend to like to start meetings on time, while this is of less importance in Italy and in some Arab countries. Table manners and body language are also very important and can create a good or a bad impression. Customs also vary about using first names, and even the amount of eye contact is important in some cultures. So it is worth studying the customs of any country where you want to find customers and create good relationships.

      For example, le[a-z] [a-z] think about lunch. If you said to a French person, “Le[a-z] [a-z] discuss the deal over lunch,” he might be surprised. In Britain and America you can walk into the office of a complete stranger, hand over our card and start to ttalk business. However, if you try this in many Continental countries, people will wonder what yo[a-z] [a-z]e doing, because they are used to developing a personal relationship before doing business.

16.   Globalization means ________________.    

A.      business is concentrated on fewer customers

B.      you need to be aware of differences

C.      companies become medium-sized

17.   Being puntual ____________________.  

A.        is particularly important in Italy

B.        tends to be important to the British

C.        is of no importance at all in Arab countries

18.   Good relationships depend on ______________.  

A.        learning customs

B.        using first names

C.        maintianing eye contact in meetings

19.   Discussing a deal over lunch is ______________________.

A.        not normal in UK

B.        not normal for an American

C.        not normal for a French person

20. Which in the following is TRUE according to the passage?  

    A. People in UK and America have the similar attitudes towards time and punctuality.

    B. You have to use much eye contact to establish good relationship.

    C. In many Continental countries, you can walk into the office of a complete stranger.

    D. You may not need to learn some of the language in business practices.