【正文】 usiness meetings sometimes starting later than planned. But to be safe, be on time. Meals can stretch for hours—there’s no such thing as rushing a meal in Brazil. Lunches also can start in the mid to late afternoon. Brazilians are social, preferring facetoface munication over mails or phone calls. In Singapore Singaporeans shake hands when they meet and often also greet each other with a small, polite bow. Business cards should be offered and received with two hands. Arriving late is considered disrespectful. So be on time. Efficiency( 效 率 ) is the goal, so meetings and dealings often are fastpaced. Singaporeans are direct in their discussions, even when the subject is about money. Rank is important and authority is respected. This determines both people interact in meetings. For example, people avoid disagreeing outright with someone with a higher rank. In the United Arab Emirates In the UAE, status is important, so the most senior or oldest should be greeted first with their titles. The handshake seems to be longer than elsewhere. So, do not pull away the handshake. Women should cover themselves when it es to dress. Men also tend to be covered from neck to elbows(肘 部 ) and down to the knees. People do not avoid entertaining in their homes, but they also hold business meals at restaurants. Touching or passing food or eating with your left hand is to be avoided. When meetings are onetoone, if your host offers you coffee, you should refuse. It might seem odd, but it is a cultural tradition. Coffee should only be accepted if it is always set out or presented. In Switzerland The Swiss tend to be formal and address each other by last name. They also are respectful of private lives. You should be careful not to ask about personal topics. Punctuality ( 守 時 ) is vital, something that es from a deep respect for others’ time. Arrive at any meeting or event a few minutes early to be safe. They also have clear structure in their panies. Higherups make the final decisions, even if others might disagree. Neat, clean dress is expected. The Swiss follow formal table manners. They also keep their hands visible at the table and their elbows off the table. It is polite to finish the food on your plate. 21. In the UAE, when should you refuse the coffee if it is offered? A. When greeting seniors. B. When meeting the host alone. C. When attending a presentation. dining with business partners. 22. Why do Singaporeans avoid arguing with their boss? A. They put efficiency in the first place. B. They dislike facetoface munication. C. They want to finish meetings as quickly as possible. D. They are supposed to obey the person of a higher rank. 23.. The passage is mainly about . A. munication types B. the workplace atmosphere C. customs and social manners D. living conditions and standards B It was a cold winter day. A woman drove up to the Rainbow Bridge tollbooth ( 收費站 ). “I’m paying for myself, and for the six cars behind me,” she said with a smile, handing over seven tickets. One after another, the next six drivers arriving at the tollbooth were informed, “Some lady up ahead already paid your fare.” It turned out that the woman, Natalie Smith, had read something on a friend’s refrigerator: “Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.” The phrase impressed her so much that she copied it down. Judy Foreman spotted the same phrase on a warehouse wall far away from home. When it stayed on her mind for days, she gave up and drove all the way back to copy it down. “I thought it was beautiful,” she said, explaining why she’d taken to writing it at the bottom of all her letters, “l(fā)ike a message from above.” Her husband, Frank, liked the phrase so much that he put it up on the classroom wall for his students, one of whom was the daughter of Alice Johnson, a local news reporter. Alice put it in the newspaper, admitting that though she liked it, she didn’t know where it came from or what it really meant. Two days later, Alice got a call from Anne Herbert, a woman living in Marin. It was in a restaurant that Anne wrote the phrase down on a piece of paper, after turning it around in her mind for days. “Here’s the idea,” Anne says. “Anything you think there should be more of, do it randomly.” Her fantasies include painting the classrooms of shabby schools, leaving hot meals on kitchen tables in the poor part of town, and giving money secretly to a proud old lady. Anne says, “Kindness can build on itself as much as violence can.” The acts of random kindness spread. If you were one of those drivers who found your fare paid, who knows what you might have been inspired to do for someone else later. Like all great events, kindness begins slowly, with every single act. Let it be yours! 24. Why did Natalie Smith pay for the six cars behind her? A. She knew the car drivers well. B. She wanted to show kindness. C. She hoped to please others. D. She had seven tickets. 25. Judy Foreman copied down the phrase becau