Although I had stayed in England for over a year, it was difficult for me to understand
the British mind. Traveling to then office every day by train, I watched people hiding their faces behind newspapers. They rarely talked to each other, occasionally lifting their eyebrows to look at their fellow passengers. But when I started a conversation by using the excuse of the weather, I found many had a natural gift for gossip. They would go on telling me all about themselves and their families. Sometimes I was even given their telephone numbers and asked to look them up. At first I took their invitations as they appeared. But when I rang and hear the surprised tone “Who？” I felt embarrassed and pretended I had got the wrong number.
I had to learn to say “please”, “sorry”, “thank you”, whether I felt it or not. Once, while buying a ticket to Waterloo, I forgot to say “please”. The man at the counter was offended and would not give me the ticket until I had said “please”. When he handed me the ticket, he said “sorry”, and hurried inside to take the only empty seat.
On the way to the office one morning, a man collapsed in my compartment. At Waterloo, everybody left, but I stayed with him until the ambulance arrived and was an hour late getting to the office. I was told that it was not my job to look after strangers.
I found that many did not even look after their own parents who were old and helpless. In India, it is the duty of the children to look after their parent and old relatives. While serving a meal, my mother always gave food to the elderly relatives and children first and ate whatever was left over. The elderly never felt isolated. They lived with their families and contributed to the happiness of the house.
31. How long had the writer stayed in England？
A. Just a year
B. More than a year
C. Almost two years
D. About ten months
32. What does the word “rarely” mean in the first paragraph？
A. seldom
B. always
C. often
D. independent while the wife is dependent
33. What did the writer mean when he said “many had a natural gift for gossip”？
A. Many British people were born speakers
B. Many British people were talkative.
C. Many British people were hot-tempered.
D. Many British people were talented
34. What did the writer mean to say by giving us the examples in the second paragraph？
A. English people are very polite because they always say “thank you” or “sorry”.
B. English people enjoy teaching others lessons of politeness.
C. He had to learn to say “please”, “sorry”, “thank you”.
D. English people say polite words without sincere politeness.
35. What does the last paragraph suggest？
A. Many old people in England were lonely because they were not taken good care of.
B. Old people in India never felt isolated.
C. The writer’s mother always ate whatever was left over.
D. Old people in most countries are respected.
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