最新高考英语一轮单元复习 精品阅读理解提升文章精选一百篇(16)

2014届最新高考英语一轮单元复习精品阅读理解提升文章精选一

百篇（16）

Unit 22

The Voices of Time

Time talk s. It speaks more plainly than words. Time communicates in many ways.

Consider the different parts of the day, for example. The time of the day when something is done can give a special meaning to the event. Managers in the US fully realize the importance of an announcement made during the middle of the mor ning or afternoon that takes everyone away from his work.

In the US, it is not customary to call som eone very early in the morning. If you telep hone him early in the day, while he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the call shows that the matter is urgent and requires imme diate atte ntion. The same meaning is attached to phone c alls made after 11:00 pm. If someone receives a call during sleeping hours, he assumes it is a matter of life and death. The time chosen for the call communicates its importance.

Imagine the excitement and fear caused by a crowd of people arriving at the door at 2:00 am. On an island in the South Pacific, a plant manager from the US had just such an experience. The native s of the island met one night to discuss a problem, when they arrived at a solution, they went to see the manager and woke him up to tell him what had been decided. Unfortunately, it was after 2 o'clock in the morning. They did not know th at it is a very serious matte r to wake up Americans at this hour. The manager, who did not understand the local culture, thought there was a fight and called out the military troops. it never occu rred to him or to the natives that parts of a day have different meanings in different cultures.

In social life, time plays an im portant part. In the US, guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation to a dinner party is extended only

3 or

4 days before the party date. But in other areas of t he world, it may be

c onsidere

d foolish to mak

e an appointment too far in advance because i t tends to be forgotten.

Americans look ahead and are concerned with the future. The American idea of future is limited, howev er. It is the foreseeable future and not the future of the South Asians, which may involve centuries.

Promptness is also valued highly in American life. People who are not prompt may be regarded as impolite or not fully responsible. A person who is 5 minu tes late, he will say a few words of explanation, though perhaps h e will not complete the sentence. To an American, being half an hour late is the beginning of the "insult period". No matter what is said in apology, there is little that can remove the