A
I was lucky enough to have a chance to study in the United States as an international student from Ukraine when I was fourteen years old. I went to a wonderful school,West Catholic High School,for my freshman year.
I remember my first day at that school as if it were yesterday. I was very nervous,and I could feel my heart beat on the tips of my toes. My main fear was that I would not be able to express myself due to the language barrier. I was trying to have as little communication as I possibly could. And I almost succeeded,until we had to introduce ourselves in front of the class.
And the moment the word “international” flew out of my mouth,I was surrounded by thirty people who were asking questions one after another. I remember some of the questions were “Where is Ukraine?Is it a kingdom? ” “Do you have McDonald’s?Does it taste the same? ” and “Say something in your language”. It turned out to be the opposite of less communication,but it was so much fun.
During the first three months,I certainly experienced a bit of cultural shock. I think Americans are the nicest people I have ever met in my entire life. They always smile and say,“Hi,how are you? ”
One day,I noticed the students looking at me suspiciously. Finally,my classmate came up to my locker and whispered,“Is that true that you are a princess and that you came to study here so that nobody would recognize you? ” At one point,I even had an image of myself wearing a gown (长袍) and waving at the crowd. What?People do have a wild imagination!
During my study abroad,I saw a totally new world,experienced great culture,met a lot of incredible people and improved my language. This trip inspired me to learn foreign languages. That is one of the reasons why I speak five different languages today.
【文章大意】本文属于记叙文。作者在14岁时, 作为国际学生到美国West Catholic High School学习。在这期间, 她经历了很多有趣的事情, 尤其是她在这个学校的第一天, 她印象非常深刻。同时, 她也经历了很多文化碰撞, 增强了自己的跨文化意识。
1. Why was the author afraid on the first day of school?
A. She was eager to talk with others.
B. She could not communicate with others well.
C. She was not good at the subjects in this school.
D. She couldn’t learn a new language without a teacher’s help.
【解析】选B。细节理解题。根据第二段“My main fear was that I would not be able to express myself due to the language barrier. ”信息可知, 作者主要担心的是由于语言障碍, 无法表达自己。
2. What happened when the word “international” flew out of the author’s mouth?
A. Her classmates played a joke on her.
B. Her classmates showed interest in her country.
C. Her classmates were eager to make friends with her.
D. Her classmates tried to know less about the author’s hometown.
【解析】选B。 推理判断题。第三段谈到: 作者被30个人包围着, 他们一个接一个地问问题, 比如 “乌克兰在哪里? 它是一个王国吗? ”“你们有麦当劳吗? 味道一样吗? ” “请用你的语言说点什么”等等。从这些信息可推知, 作者的同学对作者的祖国很感兴趣。
3. What can we learn about the author from the text?
A. She was a princess from Ukraine.
B. She couldn’t adapt to the school environment later.
C. She got lots of benefits through studying abroad.
D. She always told her classmates about her cultural background.
【解析】选C。细节理解题。根据最后一段可知, 作者在留学期间, 看到了一个全新的世界, 经历了不同的文化, 遇到了很多不可思议的人, 提高了语言能力, 激发了学习外语的热情, 作者今天能说五种不同语言。由此推知, 作者从留学的经历中学习到了很多, 受益很大。
【知识拓展】
佳词积累 nervous adj.紧张的; express vt.表达; surround vt.包围; whisper vi.低语; 耳语; recognize vt.识别; 看出; 认出;imagination n.想象; imagine v.想象;inspire vt.激励;turn out 结果是; 生产; 出现; 证明是
长难句分析 And the moment the word “international” flew out of my mouth,I was surrounded by thirty people who were asking questions one after another.
分析: the moment在本句引导状语从句, 相当于as soon as; 有类似用法的还有 the minute,the instant等; 本句who引导定语从句, 修饰people。one after another相继; 依次; 接二连三。
翻译: 当“国际”这个词从我嘴里脱口而出时, 我被30个人包围着, 他们一个接一个地问问题。
背景链接 cultural shock 文化休克, 又叫文化震荡症。它是1958年美国人类学家奥博格(Kalvero Oberg)提出来的一个概念, 是指一个人进入到不熟悉的文化环境时, 因失去自己熟悉的所有社会交流的符号与手段而产生的一种迷失、疑惑、排斥甚至恐惧的感觉。“休克”本来是指人体重要功能的丧失, 如身体失血过多, 呼吸循环功能衰竭等。但是, 当一个长期生活于自己母国文化的人突然来到另一种完全相异的新的文化环境中时, 其在一段时间内常常会出现这种文化休克的现象。
