Jeremy from America couldn't understand why a lady he met outside the Hyde Park in London said， "Oh，isn't it cold？"，and he thinks of this behaviour as a distinctively English concern about the weather.In fact，the female was just trying to start a conversation with Jeremy，just an exchange of greetings.It is not always quite obvious，but all English weather conversations have a distinctive structure conducted according to unwritten but accepted rules.
The unpredictable weather ensures that there is always something new to comment on，or perhaps most importantly，agree about.We have already established that weather-speak greetings like "Cold，isn't it？" express agreement，as in "Yes，isn't it？".It would be very rude to respond with "No，actually it's quite mild." or "It's pretty hot to me." If you deliberately break the rule，you will find that the atmosphere becomes rather tense and awkward.There may be an uncomfortable silence.Most likely，they will either change the subject or continue talking about the weather among themselves politely，if coldly，ignoring your faux pas.
There is，however，one situation where English weather-speakers are not required to observe the agreement rule at all.That is the male-bonding argument，particularly the pub-argument.In the pub，constant disagreement not just on the weather，but on everything else is a means of expressing friendship.
While we may spend much time complaining about our weather，foreigners are not allowed to criticize it.Indeed，this brings us to the weather as family rule.In this sense，we treat the English weather like a member of our family：one can complain about the behavior of one's own children or parents，but any blame from an outsider is unacceptable.The weather may be one of the few things about which the English are still unconsciously and unashamedly patriotic（爱国的）.
（1）Why did the lady comment on the weather to Jeremy？ BB
A．To build up friendship.
B．To begin a casual chat.
C．To send seasonal greetings.
D．To express dissatisfaction.
（2）What does the underlined phrase "faux pas" in Paragraph 2 probably mean？ AA
A．Improper response.
B．Careless attitude.
C．Rude interruption.
D．Frequent complaint.
（3）What is Paragraph 3 mainly about？ CC
A．Male bonding in pubs.
B．Argument about weather.
C．Exception to the agreement rule.
D．Making friends by disagreement.
（4）What is the best title for this text？ DD
A．Politeness Tips for Foreigners
B．Accepted Rules in Social Life
C．English Politeness in Weather Conversation
D．Hidden Rules of English Weather Conversation
【答案】B；A；C；D
【解答】
【点评】
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发布：2024/5/27 14:0:0组卷：1引用：1难度：0.5
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