填空题A. The culprit is climate change, caused by society"s burning of fossil fuels. When it comes to global warming, farmers who are more attuned to weather patterns than most people—may be the proverbial canaries in the coalmine. The weather, of course, has never been exactly dependable—farmers have always been at the mercy of the vagaries of sun and rain. But general weather patterns have at least been broadly predictable, allowing farmers to know when to sow their seeds, when to transplant, when to harvest. As weather patterns become less reliable, growers will be tested to develop new rhythms and systems for growing crops. B. Most keyboard jockeys would die for the view from Orin Martin"s office window: apple trees in blossom, lines of citrus, dozens of varieties of flowers and neat rows of peppers and potatoes. Martin is a farmer in Santa Cruz, Calif., where for the last 30 years he has been an instructor at the University of California"s agro-ecology program, one of the nation"s oldest organic agriculture curriculums. C. What all agriculture experts agree on is that farmers need to start preparing today for climate change. Growers ought to be thinking about what warmer temperatures, fluctuations in precipitation, and an increase in extreme weather events will mean for their farms, and how they can respond. "This is change; it"s not necessarily disaster," says Grubinger. "The disaster will come if people aren"t prepared." D. In recent years, however, something has been wrong in his idyllic setting. The weather is changing in strange ways. From New England to the Midwest to California, farmers and scientists are noticing that once-dependable weather patterns are shifting. E. Among farmers and researchers, there is disagreement about which types of growers climate change will impact most—large agribusiness growing operations, or smaller, family-run farms. Some agriculture industry observers say that the bigger farmers will have an advantage in coping with weather changes, as they will have more resources to switch to new crops. Others say that since family farms usually grow a wider range of crops, their biological diversity will make it easier to cope with whatever changes occur. F. There is a misconception that the scientific community is in a state of disagreement about global warming. In fact, there is virtually no serious disagreement on the central points. The misconception of disagreement is actually an illusion that has been deliberately fostered by oil & coal companies. These companies want to prevent any new policies that would interfere with their current business plans that rely on the massive unrestrained dumping of CO 2 into the Earth atmosphere every day. G. Too much rain at the wrong time can make it difficult to plant or harvest crops. Above-average rainfall also contributes to fungi and insects that can dramatically reduce crop yields. Too much warmth is equally problematic. Some plants require a certain number of frost days each year in order to thrive the following spring. As temperatures warm, farmers may find themselves having to either shift to different crops or actually move their operations to new locales. Unreliable weather will make it harder for farmers to be as productive as we have come to expect. Order: 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 →E→ 5

填空题[A]Noteverythinghaschanged,ofcourse.Asofteninthepast,theinjuredpolicemenweresofttargets.One,inDuncannon,wasshotashiscarwasstalledinatrafficjam.TheLondonderryofficerwaswoundedashedroppedoffhissonatschool.AfriendsaidhehadrecentlyjoinedthePSNI,whichis23%Catholic,becausehebelieveditverydifferentfromtheoldProtestant-dominatedRoyalUlsterConstabulary.(Hehad,however,movedhouse.)TheRealIRAansweredSinnFein"spleasforco-operationwiththepolicebythreateningtokillanyonewhodidso.AndtheshootinginDungannoncausedalong-delayedmeetingofthepolicing-partnershipcommitteethere,towhichSinnFeinhadatlastsentnominees,tobecancelled.[B]Theseeventsmakemanyanxious.Others,however,noteadvances.ThepolicemenwereshotbymenwhocallthemselvestheRealIRA,animplicitdismissalofmainstreamrepublicanswhosupportthepeaceprocessthatsixmonthsagoputMartinMcCuinness,atormerIRAleader,attheheadoftheprovince"sdevolvedgovernmentalongwiththeLiveIanPaisley,onceadiehardunionist.[C]Ulster"smiserablepastrefusestogoquietly.TwopolicemenwereshotandinjuredbyrepublicanparamilitariesinthefivedaysfromNovember8th.OnNovemberlaththeUlsterDefenceAssociation(UDA),.thelargestoftheloyalistparamilitarygroups,saiditwould"standdown"frommidnightbutwouldneitherdestroynorhandoveritsweapons.Thefollowingdaythepeaceprocesswatchdog,theIndependentMonitoringCommission(IMC),confirmedthatthosewhobeatPaulQuinntodeathlastmonthacrosstheborderfromsouthArmaghwereIRAmembers"pastorpresent,orassociates".Itwastoosoontotell,itsaid,whethertheIRA"scommanding"armycouncil"hadgiventheorder.[D]ThereisnoloyalistequivalentofSinnFein,originallytheIRA"smouthpieceandnowthelargestpartyrepresentingCatholicvoters.TheUDAandthesmallerUlsterVolunteerForcecameintobeingtodefendtheUnionandProtestantsagainsttheIRA,thoughmostoftheir980victimswereinnocentCatholics.AsIRAviolencewaned,UDAfiguresbecamebestknownfortheirdrug-dealing,goldjewelryandcocainehabits.Fledglingloyalistpoliticsweredamagedbyassociation.Rivalryforthecontroloflucrativecriminalbusinessesfuelledviolentfeudsanddelayedthedecommissioningofweapons.[E]Butviolenceisyieldingdiminishingreturns.TheRealIRAbecamenotoriousin1998,whentheytriedtowreckthenewlynegotiatedpower-sharingsettlementbybombingthetownofOmagh,nearDungannon.Thedeathtollof29wasthegreatestlossoflifeinasingleTroublesbombing.Butthetragedystrengthenedsupportforthepeaceprocess.Mostdissidentattackssincethenhavebeensabotagedbypoliceinfiltrationandwhatmanysuspectisinformationfromotherrepublicans.[F]Loyalistgroupsfirstcalledamuch-breachedceasefirein1994,andtheUDA"sannouncementthistimewasunderminedbytherefusaltohandoveritsguns.Butarecenttragedyhasunderlinedjustwhytheparamilitariesmustbeputoutofbusiness.Afortnightagoa16-year-oldnamedDeanClarkehangedhimselfinthedown-at-heelTigersBaydistrictofnorthBelfast.Hehadjustcomeoutofhospitalaftertreatmentfordrugpoisoning.HismothersaidalocalUDAbosshadsoldtheboyketamine,atranquilliserusedtosedatehorses.[G]TwentyyearsagoMrMcGuinnessdirectedthebombingsthatblitzedthecentreofLondonderry.Thistimehederidedthosewhoattackedanofficerinthatcityforseemingnottoknowthewarwasover,andcalledonwitnessestohelpthepolice.MrPaisleyandhistroopshavechangedaswell.InthepasthisDemocraticUnionistPartyprofessedtoseenodifferencebetweenmainstreamanddissidentrepublicans.ThisweekhewascontenttoseekassurancesfromSirHughOrde,chiefconstableofthePoliceServiceofNorthernIreland(PSNI),thatthepolicehadresourcesenoughto"quash"thedissidents.Order:

填空题 High fuel prices will probably keep Americans closer to home this summer. A recent poll by AOL and Zogby found that 30% of Americans have changed their vacation plans because of high fuel prices. On websites like Ecomodder and Daily Fuel Economy Tip, drivers are learning how to save by driving smarter, hunting down deals, finding alternative modes of transportation or-at worst-finding creative reasons to spend less time behind the wheel and more time relaxing. "People aren't canceling their trips outright," says Marie Dodds, a spokeswoman for American Automobile Association, "but they are definitely looking into other options." {{U}} {{U}} 21 {{/U}} {{/U}}Means to make the trip cheaper: For many American families, even a road trip can feel like a luxury when it costs ＄75 to fill the fuel tank. {{U}} {{U}} 22 {{/U}} {{/U}}Drive less, save more: The most obvious way to save gas is simply to drive less. For some, that means changing the destination. {{U}} {{U}} 23 {{/U}} {{/U}}A different way of camping: Even camping-that mainstay of penny-pincher vacations-might look different this year, thanks to gas prices. State parks in New York, Maine and Vermont have all reported an increase of 10% to 15% in camping reservations over last year. But more campers will be arriving not by gassy recreational vehicle but by ear-or even motorbike. Campgrounds have become more motorcycle-friendly in recent years to cater to that growing market. {{U}} {{U}} 24 {{/U}} {{/U}}More advice on gas-saving: What about Americans who can't resist the call of a summer road trip? Benjamin Jones, known for extreme gas-saving stunts like covering the underside of a car with corrugated plastic to reduce drag and coasting in neutral with the engine off instead of hitting the brakes, gives them some advice. {{U}} {{U}} 25 {{/U}} {{/U}}Staycation becomes popular: Some families, though, are simply taking more vacation closer to or at home. Alnericans are used to tough economic times and challenging environments in which to travel. "They've become ever-increasingly resilient," one governmental officer said. "Although Americans consider their vacations sacrosanct, they are being more discreet. Americans will continue to travel; they're just going to change the way they travel." A. Brad Smith of Portland, Ore., is taking his two kids, ages 7 and 8, on a three-day bike ride along the southern Oregon coast sponsored by a nonprofit group called Cycle Oregon. Smith, 45, says exercising as a family is a new priority. Bonus: "I can have a beer at the end of the day, and I don't feel guilty about it." B. That's why Ronelle Scardina, 39, scrapped plans to drive 400 miles to Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., this Juiy and decided instead to rent a cabin on a lake just two hours from her home in San Rafael. "Prices are going up on everything, and we have a mortgage and a family to support," says the working morn, who expects to scrimp even more by packing her family of four into her 1994 Honda Civic instead of taking her roomier-but gas-slurping-SUV. C. Scardina got a family pool pass to her local community center, which she can walk to, and plans to carpool to the beach with friends. She'll also take her kids, ages 5 and 6, to local puppet shows, an African dance festival and live music at a nearby outdoor amphitheater. This summer there may be no better way to save money than to stay home. D. For ordinary drivers, he recommends avoiding stop-and-go driving and idling, which depletes up to a gallon of gas per hour. Driving 55 m.p.h, instead of 80 saves 20% of gas over the same distance, he says. E. Doug and Cheryl Ludwig of Frederick, Md., recently canceled an 18,000-mile trip to Alaska that they had been planning to take in their recreational vehicle, which gets just 10 m.p.g. Instead, they'll be heading to Amish country in nearby Pennsylvania. F. Chris Rhie, 23, says he plans to ride his new Suzuki motorcycle-which gets 50 m.p.g.-from San Francisco to Yosemite for a camping trip with his girlfriend this summer.

填空题Should doctor-assisted suicide ever be a legal option? It involves the extreme measure of taking the life of a terminally ill patient when the patient is in extreme pain and the chances for recovery appear to be hopeless. Those who argue against assisted suicide do so by considering the roles of the patient, the doctor, and nature in these situations. Should the patient take an active role in assisted suicide? When a patient is terminally ill and in great pain, those who oppose assisted suicide say that it should not be up to that patient to decide what his or her fate will be. 41 ______. What role should the doctor have? Doctors, when taking the Hippocratic oath, swear to preserve life at all costs, and it is their ethical and legal duty to follow both the spirit and the letter of this oath. It is their responsibilities to heal the sick, and in the cases when healing is not possible, then the doctor is obliged to make the dying person comfortable. Doctors are trained never to hasten death. 42. ______ Doctors are also, by virtue of their humanness, capable of making mistakes. Doctors could quite possibly say, for instance, that a cancer patient was terminal, and then the illness could later turn out not to be so serious. There is always an element of doubt concerning the future outcome of human affairs. 43. ______ These general concerns of those who oppose assisted suicide are valid in certain contexts of the assisted-suicide question. For instance, patients cannot always be certain of their medical conditions. Pain clouds judgment, and so the patient should not be the sole arbiter of her or his own destiny. Patients do not usually choose the course of their medical treatment, so they shouldn't be held completely responsible for decisions related to it. Doctors are also fallible, and it is understandable that they would not want to make the final decision about when death should occur. 44. ______ I believe that blindly opposing assisted suicide does no one a service. If someone is dying of cancer and begging to be put out of his or her misery, and someone gives that person a deadly dose of morphine that seems merciful rather than criminal. If we can agree to this, then I think we could also agree that having a doctor close by measuring the dosage and advising the family and friends is a reasonable request. 45. ______ Life is indeed precious, but an inevitable part of life is death, and it should be precious, too. If life has become an intolerable pain and intense suffering, then it seems that in order to preserve dignity and beauty, one should have the right to end her or his suffering quietly, surely, and with family and friends nearby.[A] If one simply withholds treatment, it may take the patient longer to die, and so he may suffer more than he would if more direct action were taken and a lethal injection given.[B] The third perspective to consider when thinking about assisted suicide is the role of nature. Life is precious. Many people believe that it is not up to human beings to decide when to end their own or another's life. Only nature determines when it is the right time for a person to die. To assist someone in suicide is not only to break criminal laws, but to break divine laws as well.[C] Since doctors are trained to prolong life, they usually do not elect to take it by prescribing assisted suicide.[D] There are greater powers at work that determine when a person dies, for example, nature. Neither science nor personal preference should take precedence over these larger forces.[E] Without the doctor’s previous treatment, the person would surely be dead already. Doctors have intervened for months or even years, so why not sanction this final, merciful intervention?[F] There is no single, objectively correct answer for everyone as to when, if at all, one’s life becomes all things considered a burden and unwanted. If self-determination is a fundamental value, then the great variability among people on this question makes it especially important that individuals control the manner, circumstances, and timing of their death and dying.[G] Those who oppose assisted suicide believe that doctors who do help terminally ill patients die are committing a crime, and they should be dealt with accordingly.

填空题From antiquity to modern times, the nation has always been a product of informa- tion management. The ability to impose taxes, proclaim laws, count citizens and raise an army lies at the heart of statehood. Yet something new is afoot. These days demo- cratic openness means more than that citizens can vote at regular intervals in free and fair elections. They also expect to have access to government data. The state has long been the biggest generator, collector and user of data. It keeps records on every birth, marriage and death, compiles figures on all aspects of the economy and keeps statistics on licenses, laws and the weather. (41)______ But now citizens and non-governmental organizations the world over are pressing to get access to public data at the national, state and municipal level-and sometimes government officials enthusiastically support them. (42)______ America is in the lead on data access. On his first full day in office Barack Obama issued a presidential memorandum ordering the heads of federal agencies to make available as much information as possible, urging them to act "with a clear presumption: in the face of doubt, openness prevails". Mr. Obama's directive caused a flurry of activity. (43) ______. It is all on a public website, data.gov. And more information is being released all the time. Within 48 hours of data on flight delays being made public, a website had sprung up to disseminate them. Providing access to data "creates a culture of accountability", says Vivek Kundra, the federal government's CIO. One of the first things he did after taking office was to create an online "dashboard" detailing the govern ment's own $70 billion technology spending. Now that the information is freely available, Congress and the public can ask questions or offer suggestions. (44)______ All this has made a big difference. "There is a cultural change in what people expect from government, fu- elled by the experience of shopping on the internet and having real-time access to financial information," says John Wonderlich of the Sunlight Foundation, which promotes open government. (45)______ Chris Vein, San Francisco's CIO, insists that providing more information can make government more effi- cient. California's generous "sunshine laws" provide the necessary legal backing. Among the first users of the newly available data was a site called "San Francisco Crimespotting" that layers historical crime figures on top of map information. People now often come to public meetings armed with crime maps to demand police patrols in their particular area.[A] This was all the more remarkable since the Bush administration had explicitly instructed agencies to do the opposite.[B] Yet until recently all these data have been locked tight. Even when publicly accessible they were hard to find, and aggregating lots of printed information is notoriously difficult.[C] The economic crisis has speeded up that change, particularly in state and city governments.[D] It is now possible to obtain figures on job-related deaths that name employers, and to get annual data on migration free. Some information that was previously available but hard to get at now comes in a computer- readable format.[E] The model will be applied to other areas, perhaps including health-care data, says Mr Kundra-provided that looming privacy issues can be resolved.[F] "Government information is a form of infrastructure, no less important to our modem life than our roads, electrical grid or water systems," says Carl Malamud, the boss of a group called Public.Resource.Org that puts government data online.[G] It allows users to play around with the data and spot hidden trends.

填空题Coinciding with the groundbreaking theory of biological evolution proposed by British naturalist Charles Darwin in the 1860s, British social philosopher Herbert Spencer put forward his own theory of biological and cultural evolution. Spencer argued that all worldly phenomena, including human societies, changed over time, advancing toward perfection. 16 American social scientist Lewis Henry Morgan introduced another theory of cultural evolution in the late 1800s. Morgan helped found modern anthropology—the scientific study of human societies, customs and beliefs—thus becoming one of the earliest anthropologists. In his work, he attempted to show how all aspects of culture changed together in the evolution of societies. 17 . In the early 1900s in North America, German-born American anthropologist Franz Boas developed a new theory of culture known as Historical particularism, which emphasized the uniqueness of all cultures, gave new direction to anthropology. 18 . Boas felt that the culture of any society must be understood as the result of a unique history and not as one of many cultures belonging to a broader evolutionary stage or type of culture. 19 . Historical particularism became a dominant approach to the study of culture in American anthropology, largely through the influence of many students of Boas. But a number of anthropologists in the early 1900s also rejected the particularist theory of culture in favor of diffusionism. Some attributed virtually every important cultural achievement to the inventions of a few, especially gifted peoples that, according to diffusionists, then spread to other cultures. 20 . Also in the early 1900s, French sociologist é mile Durkheim developed a theory of culture that would greatly influence anthropology. Durkheim proposed that religious beliefs functioned to reinforce social solidarity. An interest in the relationship between the function of society and culture became a major theme in European, and especially British, anthropology. A. Other anthropologists believed that cultural innovations, such as inventions, had a single origin and passed from society to society. This theory was known as diffusionism. B. In order to study particular cultures as completely as possible, he became skilled in linguistics, the study of languages, and in physical anthropology, the study of human biology and anatomy. C. He argued that human evolution was characterized by a struggle he called the "survival of the fittest," in which weaker races and societies must eventually be replaced by stronger, more advanced races and societies. D. They also focused on important rituals that appeared to preserve a people"s social structure, such as initiation ceremonies that formally signify children"s entrance into adulthood. E. Thus, in his view, diverse aspects of culture, such as the structure of families, forms of marriage, categories of kinship, ownership of property, forms of government, technology, and systems of food production, all changed as societies evolved. F. Supporters of the theory viewed culture as a collection of integrated parts that work together to keep a society functioning. G. For example, British anthropologists Grafton Elliot Smith and W.J. Perry incorrectly suggested, on the basis of inadequate information, that farming, pottery making, and metallurgy all originated in ancient Egypt and diffused throughout the world. In fact, all of these cultural developments occurred separately at different times in many parts of the world.

填空题[A]Thenextlogicalstepistoautomatethephysicalprocessofcuttingthediamond,andDrHoldenseemstohavefoundtheidealpartner.HeistalkingtoCalibratedDiamonds.acompanybasedinJohannesburg,SouthAfrica.aboutcombininghisoptimisationtechniqueswithanadvancedlaser-cuttingsystem.Traditionally,diamondsarecutandpolishedusingotherdiamonds.Butmrecentyears,lasershavebeenintroducedtomakeroughcutsandmcarry,out"bruting",thebevellingprocessusedtogivediamondstheircharacteristicsharp-edgedshapes.JohnBond.thefounderofCalibratedDiamonds,sayshislaser-cuttingmethodcanmakemuchmoreprecisecutsandcanevenpolishdiamonds,thoughheisreluctanttoexplainhowitworks.Hebelievesthatcombininghislaser-cuttingwithDrHolden'ssoftware,andautomatingthewholeprocess,couldbothreducewastedramaticallyandcuttheturnaroundtimefrommonthstodays."Currently,peoplearelosingupto70%ofthediamond."hesays.[B]Forover600yearslapidarists,orstone-cutters,havebeenusingessentiallythesametechniquestocutdiamondsanddeterminetheirvalue,saysDrHolden.Thereisagreatneedforautomation,hesays—asentimentechoedwithintheindustry.TheGemologicalInstituteofAmerica,forexample,isdevisingsoftwaretoenableretailersandconsumerstocomparediamondsofdifferentcutsbygradingthecutautomatically.[C]Inactualuse,thesystemisfedmodelsofgemstones,whichareproducedbyscanningthe.stonesusingadesktopX-raytomographymachine.Whenastoneisidentifiedasaborderlinecasebetweentwogrades,thesystemusesanoptimisationtechnique,calledageneticalgorithm,toexplorethedifferentwaysinwhichthestonecouldbecuttomaximiseitsvalue.Sometimesbiggerisnotnecessarilybetter:removingImperfections,knownasinclusions,mayreducethesizeandcaratageofastone,butcouldalsoelevateittoamorevaluablegrade.TestsofiGemshowedthatitcouldincreasethevalueofaroughstonebyasmuchas23%.[D]Evenasmallimprovementcanyieldasignificantincreaseinvalue,saysDrHolden.whospecialisesinapplyingtechnologytoimprovedecision-makinginbusiness.TogetherWithhiscolleagueMateeSerearuno.hehasdevelopedanoptimisationsystemcallediGem.Besidesautomaticallyworkingoutthegradeofaroughdiamond,italsosuggestshowbesttocatitinordertomaximisethevalueoftheresultingstones.[E]MrBondhopesthatthiscombinationoftechnologieswillhelphishomecontinenttobenefitmorefromitsnaturalwealth.Morethan60%oftheworld'sroughdiamondscomefromAfrica,hesays,butalackofexpertiseandrelativelyhighlabourcostsmeansthatthestonesareusuallyshippedoverseas,tocountriessuchasIndia,forassessmentandcutting.Hehopestohavehisfirstfactoryupandrunninglaterthisyear.[F]Thesystemusesasetofroles,distilledfromthejudgmentsoffourdiamondexperts,mdeterminetheclarity,andhencethegrade,ofeachstone.Eachexpertwasaskedtoclassify503different"virtualstones"--computermodelsofstonescontainingdifferentWivesofflaws.Theexperts'verdictswerethenboileddownintoasetofrules,sothatwhenanewgemstoneispresentedtothesystem,itcandeterminehowtheexpertswouldprobablyhavegradedit.Datafrommoreexpertscouldhavebeenused,butfourprovedtobeenoughtoproducearobustandaccuratesystem,saysDrHolden.[G]Whileadiamondmaybeforever,itsvalueisfarfromsetinstone.ItdependsonthefourCs:carat,cut,colourandclarity.Butwhilethefirstthreecanbemeasuredobjectively,assessingadiamond'sclarityinvolvesacertainamountofsubjectivityandcanleaveexpertsdisagreeingaboutthegrade—andhencethevalue—ofastone.NowresearchersatCambridgeUniversity'sInstituteforManufacturingclaimmhavedevisedawaytomakethegradingofdiamondsandotherpreciousstonesmoreconsistent.TonyHolden,theproject'sleader,saysautomatingthisprocesscoulddomorethanjustloadmmoreaccuratevaluations.Itcouldalsomakeroughstonesmorevaluable,byreducingtheamountofwasteduringcutting.Order:

填空题(41) Conflicts: If you do get a place in the student dormitory, it is likely that you will have to share your living space with one other student. While having an American roommate will help you to learn more about American ways, there will probably be many times that discomfort or conflict will arise due to cultural differences. (42) Sex: With regard to sex in general, American behavior is quite different from the norms found in China. (43) Relationship Between Teachers & Students: On the campus, particularly where classes are small, I found a strange informality that characterized the relationship between students and their professors. (44) Gifts: In my interaction with American friends, I noticed that the concept of a gift is quite different here. Many things we give to each other in China are not called "gifts" but are considered to be a reflection of ordinary duties and mutual obligations. Accustomed as we are to using the word "gift" to refer to something valuable given on special occasions, it comes as a surprise to see how often the word is used in America. In the United States, "gifts", given on many different occasions, are only services. (45) Social Intercourse. When you do enter American homes, you will have an opportunity to observe different ways of greeting people. On the whole, Americans tend to be far more physical than we in their greetings. [A] I was astonished, for example, when a friend told me that he was offering to care for his younger brother and sister so that his father could take a vacation for his birthday--this was a gift to him. For us, this would be considered duty rather than a gift. Even between friends gestures of this sort might be considered "gifts" here. [B] While many students do call their professors, "Professor" so and so or "Dr. " so and so, some professors prefer to be called familiarly by their first names. And in the spirit of informality, many professors may invite students to their homes or can be seen chatting with students over a meal or a cup of coffee in the school cafeteria. A good number of instructors even request that students fill out class evaluation forms which assess the content and presentation of the course. [C] My roommate was very sociable and had many boyfriends who came to visit often very late. One night, after midnight, I had to stay in the bathroom for an extra 40 minutes because I had heard a man"s voice in my room. My roommate did not realize how awkward I would feel meeting a man while I was in my nightgown. You see, American students tend to be much more casual about these matters. [D] On many occasions, for instance, close friends or sometimes even casual acquaintances embrace or kiss each other on the cheeks in greeting or bidding farewell. It may even happen that where couples are close friends, the two husbands will kiss the other man"s wife! [E] In the United States, for example, if a student wants to invite his teacher to a dinner party, the invitation should be sent a week or so before the party date. If the invitation is extended only three or four days before the party date, the teacher will feel he is not highly regarded. [F] For example, many American students seem to like to listen to popular and sometimes loud music while studying in their rooms. Sometimes they will even leave the music on when they leave the room. For some reason, many will tell you, music helps them to relax and concentrate, an idea which other foreign students and I found very strange and disturbing. We"d like to study quietly without any disturbance.