Traveling to every part of the world gets easier, but how well do we know and understand each other. Here’s a simple test. Imagine you are planning to hold a meeting at four o’clock. What time should you expect your foreign business friends to arrive? If they are Germans, they’ll arrive on time. If they are Americans, they’ll probably be 15 minutes early. If they are Englishmen, they’ll be 15 minutes late, and you should allow up to an hour for the Italians.

The British seemed to think since the English language was widely used in the world, people would always understand what they do. However, they found they were completely wrong. For example, the British are happy to have a business lunch and discuss business matters and have a drink during the meal. The Japanese prefer not to work while eating. Lunch is a time for them to relax and get to know each other and they don’t drink at lunchtime. The Germans like to talk business before dinner. The French like to eat first and talk afterwards. They have to be well fed and watered before they discuss anything.

根据短文内容选择最佳答案。

1．What do the Germans prefer when they go to a meeting?

A．They prefer to be on time.                                          B．They prefer to arrive very early.

C．They prefer to arrive very late.              D．They prefer to arrive a little late.

2．According to the text, if a group of Englishmen, Americans and Italians hold a meeting, who will be the last to arrive?

     A．The Englishmen.                                  B．The Americans.

     C．The Italians.                                        D．Both the Englishmen and the Italians.

3．What do the Japanese like to do at lunchtime?

     A．To drink.                                            B．To get to know each other.

     C．To talk business.                                 D．To eat only.

4．According to the writer, the British like to ________.

     A．arrive on time and talk business during the meal

       B．arrive earliest and hate talking business at a meal

     C．arrive 15 minutes late and talk business after the meal

     D．arrive a few minutes late and discuss business during the meal

5．By giving us the two examples, the writer means to show us that _______.

     A．different countries have different cultures in different parts of the world

     B．the Germans are more serious and have good living habits

     C．the Italians are careless people and they are never on time for everything

     D．the French people are very lazy. They prefer eating and drinking more