The other day a British businessman, recently having visited Japan, recounted the words of a leading Japanese ship-owner. "Our ships" said this individual with a sigh, "are going fully loaded to Europe and America but these days coming back empty."
Of course, this oversimplifies, but the message is clear—and for the Europeans it is especially chilling. The Asian world (including notably a reviving Japan, and to a rapidly increasing extent, China, India, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia) is supplying more and more of Europe’s and America’s needs, but the West is not reciprocating. The old and cozy image of trade being a two-way beneficial flow between East and West is fading fast.
There used to be a sort of superior view that the West, and Europe in particular, would do all the thinking, innovating and designing, and the East with its cheap labor would churn out the more basic items. In due course, the cheap labor would become
A. worried.
B. indifferent.
C. urgent.
D. frustrated.
Passage Two
The other day I heard an American say to a Chinese student of English" You speak very good English. "But the student answered," No, no. My English is very poor. "the foreigner was quite surprised at the answer. Thinking he had not made himself understood or the student had not heard him clearly, he said," Yes indeed, you speak English very well. "But the Chinese student still kept saying "No. "In the end the foreigner gave up and was at a loss what to say. What’s wrong with the student’s answer It is because he did not accept a compliment＜赞美的话＞as the English people do. He should have said" Thank you" instead of "no". He actually understood what the American had said. But he thought he should be modest. If he said "Thank you", that would mean he was too proud. According to the western culture, if someone says the dishes you have cooked are very delicious, you should say &qu
A. Pardon
B. Thank you
C. Excuse me
D. Yes, thanks a lot
我来回答:
