【1】 An Observation and Explanation
It is worth looking at one or two aspects of the way a mother behaves towards her baby. The usual fondling, cuddling and cleaning requite little comment, but the position in which she holds the baby against her body when resting is rather revealing. Careful studies have shown the fact that 80 per cent of mothers hold their infants in their left arms, holding them against the left side of their bodies. If asked to explain the significance of this preference most people reply that it is obviously the result of the predominance of right-handedness in the population. By holding the babies in their left arms, the mothers keep their dominant arm free for manipulations. But a detailed analysis shows that this is not the case. True, there is a slight difference between right-handed and left-handed females; but not enough to provide an adequate explanation. It emerges that 83 per cent of right-handed mothers hold the baby on the left side, but so do 78 per cent of left-handed mothers. In other words, only 22 per cent of the left-handed mothers have their dominant hands free for actions. Clearly there must be some other, less obvious explanation.
The only other clue comes from the fact that the heart is on the left side of the mother's body. Could it be that the sound of her heart-beat is the vital factor? And in what way? Thinking along these lines it was argued that perhaps during its existence inside the body of the mother the unborn baby gets used to the sound of the heart beat. If this is so, then the re-discovery of this familiar sound after birth might have a calming effect on the infant, especially as it has just been born into a strange and frighteningly new world. If this is so then the mother would, somehow, soon arrive at the discovery that her baby is more at peace if held on the left against her heart, than on the right.
1. We can learn a lot by observing the position in which a mother holds her baby against her body
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
2. Most left-handed women feel comfortable by holding their baby in their left arm and keep the right arm free
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
3. The number of right-handed mothers who hold the baby on the left side exceeds that of left-handed ones by 22%
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
4. The fact that most left-handed mothers hold the baby on their left side renders the first explanation unsustainable
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
5. The fact that the heart is on the left side of the mother's body provides the most convincing explanation of allＷww.KaＯ8.CC
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
6. A baby held in the right arm of its mother can be easily frightened
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
7. The writer's explanation of the phenomenon is supported by the fact that babies tend to be more peaceful if held in their mothers' left arms than in the right arms
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
答案: ACBABCA
【2】Dining Custom
Every land has its own dining custom, and the United States is no exception. Americans feel that the first rule of being a polite guest is to be on time. If a person is invited to dinner at 6:30, the hostess expects him to be there at 6:30 or not more than a few minutes after. Because she usually does her own cooking, she times the meal so that the coffee and meat will be at their best at the time she asks the guest to come. If he is late, the food will not be so good, and the hostess will be disappointed. When the guest cannot come on time, he calls his host or hostess on the telephone, gives the reason, and tells at what time he thinks he can come.
As guests continue to arrive, the men in the group stand when a woman enters and remain standing until she has found a chair. A man always rises when he is being introduced to a woman. A woman does not rise when she is being introduced either to a man or a woman unless the woman is much older.
When the guests sit down at a dinner table, it is customary for the men to help the ladies by pushing their chairs under them.
Even an American may be confused by the number of knives, forks, and spoons beside his plate when he sits down to a formal dinner. The rule is simple, however, use them in the order in which they lie, beginning from the outside. Or watch the hostess and do what she does. The small fork on the outside on the left is for salad, which is often served with the soup. The spoon on the outside at the right is for soup, and so on. Sometimes there is a separate little knife, called a butter spreader, on a small bread-and-butter plate at the left. As the bread is passed, each guest puts his piece on the bread-and-butter plate.
1. As a country of immigrants, the U.S. does not have its own dining customs.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
2. The guest is expected to arrive on time because the coffee and meat will be at their best at the time he is required to come.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
3. A woman usually rises when she is being introduced to an aged gentleman.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
4. At a dinner table, it is customary for the men to arrange chairs for ladies.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
5. At formal American dinner, the knives, forks, and spoons beside the plate are placed in a certain order.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
6. The right order to use the knives, forks and spoons at a formal dinner is from the left to the right.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
7. At a formal dinner, bread is usually served together with salad and soup.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
答案: BABCABC
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