1. When people meet each other for the first time in Britain, they say “How do you do?”and shake hands(握手). Usually they do not shake hands when they just meet or say goodbye. But they shake hands after they haven’t met for a long time or when they will be away from each other for a long time. Last year a group of German students went to England for a holiday. Their teacher told them that the English people hardly shake hands. So when they met their English friends at the station, they kept their hands behind their backs. The English students had learned that the Germans shake hands as often as possible, so they put their hands in front and got ready to shake hands with them. It made both of them laugh. It is ______if you know the language and some of the customs of the country.

24. be smart about | trap | carpooling | do our part | make a difference Climate change may be a big problem, but there are many little things we can do to ____1____. If we try, most of us can ____2____ to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that we put into the atmosphere. Many greenhouse gases come from things we do every day. As we have learned, these greenhouse gases ____3___ energy in the atmosphere and make the Earth warmer.Driving a car or using electricity is not wrong. We just have to ___4____ it. Some people use less energy by ___5____. For example, four people can ride together in one car instead of driving four cars to work. Why not try to do something to help make the planet a better place?

23. around | punctual | avoid | new | show up If you＇re ____1____ to working in the United States, doing business with the U.S., or working for an American company overseas, here are a few tips for your everyday behavior ____2____ appointments and punctuality. They are sure to help you get ahead with your American colleagues: Schedule meetings and appointments in advance — a few days, a week, even a month in advance. Always make appointments for in-person meetings. Don＇t just ____3___ and expect people to make time to talk with you. If you think you＇re going to be more than a few minutes late for any appointment, call and let the other party know you＇re running late. Plan your own time so that you can be ___4____ for appointments you have made. ___5____ changing plans at the last minute.

22. unlikely | somehow | happened to | beyond | missed Here＇s a real-life story that ____1____ me recently. I had scheduled a business meeting with a team from India, but had ____2____ forgotten to log it into my schedule. Arriving at my office 30 minutes after the appointment, I found a voice message telling me the team was waiting for me in the meeting room. Being afraid that I had ____3___ the appointment, I hurried in, and found them happily chatting together. Their attitude was “Ah! You＇re here! We can start now!”If the team had been American, it＇s likely they would have been annoyed, and ___4____ they would have waited more than 10 minutes — at the most. They would have left me a message asking to reschedule the meeting. Why? Because American-style appointments have a firm end as well as start time, and if you start late you won＇t be able to finish the business at hand without running ___5____ the scheduled ending time.

21. starts with | at | in | tends to | on the basis of One of the cultural differences that ____1____ annoy Americans has to do with understanding of punctuality. Getting ahead at work ____2____ getting to work on time! If you come from a culture that has a more relaxed view of time, you＇re likely to be surprised ____3___ how serious Americans are about time. While not all Americans are punctual all the time, the society as a whole operates ___4____well-kept schedules. This is true ___5____ personal and community life as well as in U.S. business culture.

20. get to | outside | next to | time-efficient | afford Responses Posted Online by Netizens Cristina F.:In Portugal, moving ____1____ work will certainly mean buying a house that we often cannot ____2____. I work ____3___ Lisbon and I travel on Monday to work, stay there and need only three steps to___4____ work. I travel back to Lisbon Friday afternoon.(posted 18 hours ago) Chris B:I travel by car as it is the most ___5____ way of getting there.(posted 15 hours ago )

19. netizens | instead of | commuting | nerve- and traffic-saving | the point of Hanna P., Marketing Expert at a famous software company, posted online his own ____1____ experience and asked the ____2____ to share their views: I went today: by bus No. 81, then trolley bus No. 3, then underground Line 1, then bus No.139 and finally bus No. 87 (25 km all together). Who more? And actually ____3___ the question is: why do so many people spend lots of time and money getting to work___4____ moving near to it? It would be so ___5____ if everyone lived near their work.

18. authorities | possibility | captions | cliff | headfirst Here＇re a few funny road signs found from various parts of the world — they＇re all real road signs. I hope you enjoy them and please feel free to add your own ____1____ to the pictures. It seems that this is a real ____2____ around Ireland＇s Dingle Peninsula. After all, the ____3___ put up a warning sign, picturing a car flying ___4____ into the sea. And that sign, pictured against an actual ___5____ in the background, makes a great travel photo.

17. pastime | straightforward | souvenir | unintentionally | gems Most road signs you come across are____1____. They tell you what to do, which direction to go in, where you are, etC, but occasionally (and usually ____2____), road signs can be funny! Taking pictures of funny road signs while traveling is a favorite ____3___ for many travelers. We＇ve all come across these ___4____: a miswritten translation; an unusual warning; or an illustration that just doesn＇t seem right. It might be an official highway sign or something written on a shop window. All are perfect for adding to your travel photo album and sharing with friends. And oftentimes, photographic evidence of such a sign not only makes a great ___5____, but also serves as proof for doubtful folks back home.

16. assure | give up | forgiveness | meaningless | proper ____1____ doesn＇t mean forgetting. That is something that few people can truly do. It means, “I ____2____ my right to hurt you back or hold this over you in the future”. ____3___ them that you will make the ___4____ changes in the future and that you should keep this problem from happening again. Words with no action are pretty___5____. If you promise to change, and the other person sees you change, you can repair your relationship and rebuild trust.

15. learn from | as well as | acknowledge | at this point | be specific The second important step is to ____1____ the injury you have caused the other person(s). Have you hurt their feelings, damaged property, and caused them some difficulty? ____2____ and tell them that you know what you did to them.Accept complete responsibility for what you did ____3___ the consequences. The consequences could be personal, it could be financial, or it could be something else. Take your part and ___4____ it. Don＇t try to turn it around ___5____ and look for their part in the problem (if any) or try to get them to say they＇re sorry. This is about YOU and YOUR actions, not theirs.