UNIT 7: CULTURAL DIVERSITY

A. PHONETICS
I. Pick out the word whose primary stress is placed differently from that of the rest.
1. A. compare B. contrast C. delete D. employ
2. A. important B. ancestor C. concentrate D. honeymoon
3. A. confusion B. loneliness C. proposal D. encourage
II. Pick out the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the rest.
4. A. driven B. bride C. ritual D. lifestyle
5. A. failed B. solved C. reached D. gained
B. VOCABULARY
I. Choose one suitable word from the box to complete each sentence.

*attendants *bouquet *rumour *traditionally * seated

*shoe *announced *bridesmaids *ceremony *hen party

6. A Bachelorette party prior to the wedding in America is called a ____ in Britain.
7. During the cake cutting ____, the newlyweds will hand feed each other a piece of cake. 
8. The British top table consists of parents and honour ____. 
9. In America, the first dance is held after the bride and groom are ____ into the dining room.
10. An American bride tosses a ____ into a crowd of bachelorettes, while the groom lifts up his
bride’s gown to pull off a garter and fling it into a group of bachelors. 
11. The guests have been _____and are waiting for the grand entrance of the bride.
12. British brides believe in something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,
and a six pence in her ____.
13. ____ has it that the woman who catches the bouquet will be the next in line to get married!
14. The British bride walks down the aisle before her ____.
15. British wedding cakes are ____ made of fruit cake and are displayed using pillars inbetween
each tier. 
II. Choose A, B, C or D that best completes each unfinished sentence or has the same meaning as
the underlined part.
16. It is important to have someone that you can ____in.
A. talk B. speak C. confide D. know
17. Affected by the Western cultures, Vietnamese young people's attitudes ____ love and marriage
have dramatically changed.
A. for B. with C. through D. towards
18. It is thought that traditional marriage ____ are important basis of limiting divorce rates.
A. appearances   B. records   C. responses   D. values
19. All parents are ____ to at least try to behave in ways that will give their own children an
important protection
A. decided B. supposed C. followed D. rejected
20. Many young people have objected to ____ marriage, which is decided by the parents of the
bride and groom.
A. agreed B. shared C. contractual D. sacrificed
21. It is not easy to ____our beauty when we get older and older.
A. develop B. maintain C. gain D. collect
22. A curriculum that ignores ethnic tensions, racial antagonisms, cultural ____ and religious
differences is not relevant.
A. supertitions B. contacts C. barriers D. levels
23. London is home to people of many ____ cultures.
A. diverse   B. diversity C. diversify D. diversification
24. At last they divorced after ten years of ____.
A. engagement B. marriage C. retirement D. memory
25. Many people tend to choose a ____ date for important occasions.
A. supernatural B. modern C. supertitious D. favourable
C. GRAMMAR
I. Choose A, B, C or D that best completes each unfinished sentence.
26. The young are ____ more concerned with physical attractiveness than elderly people.
A. much B. as C. many D. as much as
27. In ____ most social situations , ____ informality is appreciated.
A. the / an B. X / X C. a / the D. the / a
28. ____ schooling is compulsory in Australia between ____ages of six and seventeen.
A. The / X B. A / an C. X / the D. The / an
29. She fell in ____ love with him because of his kind nature.
A. a B. the C. X D. an
30. I went by ____ train to ____West of England.
A. X / a B. X / X C. the / the D. X / the
31. Of Charles Dickens’ novels, Great Expectations is perhaps ____ to many readers.
A. the most satisfying one B. most satisfying one
C. more than satisfying one D. the more satisfying than
32. ____ apples of all are grown in Washington State.
A. Best B. The better C. The best D. The most
33. The test is not ____ difficult ____ it was last month.
A. as / as B. so / as C. more / as D. A and B
34. A: It's a long way from Britain, isn't it?
B: Yes, but it isn't as ____ as Hong Kong.
A. far B. farther C. farthest D. further
35. This play is ____ than the one we saw last week.
A. as good B. good C. well D. better
II. Identify one underlined word or phrase that must be changed for the sentence to be correct.
36. They (A) asked a lot of questions, (B) checked their figures, and (C) came up with (D) best
solution.
37. The (A) first skill (B) to learn is how to write only the (C) more important words, not (D)
whole sentences.
38. It is (A) certainly true that the (B) average woman (C) has weaker muscles (D) that the
average man.
39. In 1925, he (A) joined the (B) advertising department of Doubleday Page and Company, one of
(C) the most large publishing (D) houses in New York.
40. The saying “ The (A) many, the (B) merrier” (C) is quite true (D) to our large family.

III. Rewrite the following sentences with the given words so that they do not change the meaning
of the original sentence.
41. It is much more difficult to speak English than to speak French.
 To speak English is __________________________________.

42. This is the most interesting novel I’ve ever read.

 I have never ________________________________________.

43. No one in this class is as tall as Richard.

 Richard is __________________________________________.

44. Murder is the most serious of all crimes.

No crime ___________________________________________.

45. I can't cook as well as my mother does.

 My mother can ______________________________________.

46. Your coffee is not as good as mine.

 My coffee __________________________________________.

47. When I was younger, I used to go climbing more than I do now.

 Now I ______________________________________________.

48. My interview lasted longer than yours.

 Your interview ______________________________________.

49. Mai can speak English more fluently than Hoa.

 Hoa cannot _________________________________________.

50. We have never watched a more boring film than this.

 The film we watched _________________________________.

D. READING

I. Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each question.

In most discussions of cultural diversity, attention has focused on visible, explicit aspects of culture,
such as language, dress, food, religion, music, and social rituals. Although they are important, these
visible expressions of culture, which are taught deliberately and learned consciously, are only the
tip of the iceberg of culture. Much of culture is taught and learned implicitly, or outside awareness.
Thus, neither cultural insiders nor cultural outsiders are aware that certain “invisible” aspects of
their culture exist.
Invisible elements of culture are important to us. For example, how long we can be late before
being impolite, what topics we should avoid in a conversation, how we show interest or attention
through listening behaviour, what we consider beautiful or ugly- these are all aspects of culture that
we learn and use without being aware of it. When we meet other people whose invisible cultural
assumptions differ from those we have learned implicitly, we usually do not recognize their
behaviour as cultural in origin.
Differences in invisible culture can cause problems in cross-cultural relations. Conflicts may arise
when we are unable to recognize others’ behavioural differences as cultural rather than personal.
We tend to misinterpret other people’s behaviour, blame them, or judge their intentions or
competence without realizing that we are experiencing cultural rather than individual differences.
Formal organizations and institutions, such as schools, hospitals, workplaces, governments, and the
legal system are collection sites for invisible cultural differences. If the differences were more
visible, we might have less misunderstanding. For example, if we met a man in a courthouse who
was wearing exotic clothes, speaking a language other than ours, and carrying food that looked
strange, we would not assume that we understood his thoughts and feelings or that he understood
ours. Yet when such a man is dressed similarly to us, speaks our language, and does not differ from
us in other obvious ways, we may fail to recognize the invisible cultural differences between us. As
a result, mutual misunderstanding may arise.
51. What is the main purpose of the passage?
A To point out that much of culture is learned consciously.
B To describe cultural diversity.
C To explain the importance of invisible aspects of culture.
D To explain why cross-cultural conflict occurs.
52. The word “deliberately” in bold in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _______.
A slowly B accurately
C intentionally D randomly
53. The phrase “the tip of the iceberg” in paragraph 1 means that ___________.
A most aspects of culture cannot be seen
B we usually focus on the highest forms of culture
C other cultures seem cold to us
D visible aspects of culture are learned in formal institutions
54. Which of the following was NOT mentioned as an example of invisible culture?
A How people express interest in what others are saying
B How late is considered impolite
C What topics to avoid in conversation
D What food to eat in a courthouse
55. The word “those” in paragraph 2 refers to__________.
A invisible cultural assumptions
B people from a different culture
C topics that should be avoided in conversation
D people who speak a different language

56. It can be inferred from paragraph 3 that conflict results when ___________.
A one culture is more invisible than another culture
B people compete with those from other cultures
C some people recognize more cultural differences than others
D people think cultural differences are personal
57. The author implies that institutions such as schools and workplaces ________.
A reinforce invisible cultural differences
B are aware of cultural differences
C share a common culture
D teach their employees about cultural differences
58. Which of the following would most likely result in misunderstanding?
A Strange behaviour from someone speaking a foreign language
B Learning about our own culture in school
C Strange behaviour from someone speaking our language
D Unusual food being cooked by foreign visitors

II. Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each question.

You can usually tell when your friends are happy or angry by the looks on their faces or by their
actions. This is useful because reading their emotional expressions helps you to know how to
respond to important situations and to convey our intentions to others. But does raising the
eyebrows and rounding the mouth say the same thing in Minneapolis as it does in Madagascar ?
Much research on emotional expressions has centered on such questions. 
According to Paul Ekman, the leading researcher in this area, people speak and understand
substantially the same “facial language”. Studies by Ekman’s group have demonstrated that humans
share a set of universal emotional expressions that testify to the common biological heritage of the
human species. Smiles, for example, signal happiness and frowns indicate sadness on the faces of
people in such far-flung places as Argentina, Japan, Spain, Hungary, Poland, Sumatra, the United
States, Vietnam, the jungles of New Guinea, and the Eskimo villages north of Artic Circle. Ekman
and his colleagues claim that people everywhere can recognize at least seven basic emotions :
sadness, fear, anger, disgust, contempt, happiness, and surprise. 
There are, however, huge differences across cultures in both the context and intensity of emotional
displays – the so-called display responses – expecially negative ones – while many American
children are encouraged to express their feelings more openly. Regardless of culture, however,
emotions usually show themselves, to some degree, in people’s behavior. From their first days in
life, babies produce facial expressions that communicate their feelings. 
The ability to read facial expressions develops early, too. Very young children pay close attention to
facial expressions, and by age five, they nearly equal adults in their skill at reading emotions on
people’s faces. This evidence all points to a biological underpinning for our abilities to express and
interpret a basic set of human emotions. Moreover, as Chales Dawin pointed out over a century ago,
some emotional expressions seem to appear across species boundaries. Cross-cultural psychologists
tell us that certain emotional responses carry different meanings in diferrent cultures. For example,
what emotion do you suppose might be conveyed while sticking out your tounge ? For American,
this might indicate disgust, while in China it can signify surprise. Likewise, a grin on an American
face may indicate joy, while on a Japanese face it may just as easily mean embarrassment. Clearly,
culture influences emotional expressions.
59. The word “evolved” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _______
A. reduced B increased
C. simplified, D developed
60. Paul Ekman is mentioned in the passage as an example of ______
A Lacked many main ingredients
B Researchers on universal language
C Researchers who can speak and understand many languages
D Investigators on universal emotional expressions
61. The biggest difference lies in ______
A How long negative emotions are displayed
B How emotional responses are controlled
C How intensive emotions are expressed
D How often positive emotions are shown
62. Unlike American children, Asian children are encouraged to ______
A control their emotions
B display their emotions openly
C conceal their positive emotions
D change their behavior
63. Young children _______
A spend a long time learning to read others’ emotions
B are sensitive towards others’ emotions
C Make amazing progress in controlling their emotions
D Take time to control their facial expressions
64. The phrase “this evidence” in paragraph 3 refers to _____
A The fact that children are good at recognizing others’ emotions
B Human facial expressions
C A biological underpinning for humans to express emotions
D The fact that children can control their feelings
65. The best title for the passage is _____
A Cultural universals in emotional expressions
B A review of research on emotional expressions
C Ways to control emotional expressions
D Human habit of displaying emotions

III. Read the following passage and choose the best answer to fill in each gap.
Have you ever stopped to wonder why people give each other eggs at Easter? The Christian festival
of Easter celebrates the return of Jesus Christ from the death, but the festival is actually named
(66)_____ the goddes of the sun, Eostre, whose name is taken from where she rises. In very ancient
times, Easter was a celebration that winter was (67)_____ and that a new life was about to begin.
The rabbit, (68)_____ to the number of the young it produces, is the symbol of life. In some parts of
the world, the rabbit leaves large (69)_____ of eggs (another symbol of new life) in the garden and
children have to find as many as they can. This is very like Christmas when Santa Claus leave
presents for individual children. At Easter, children have to be independent and (70)_____ after
themselves. In this way the hunt for Easter eggs represents the need for young people to go out into
the world and make their own fortune.

66. A. for B. about C. after D. with

67. A. up B. over C. on D. with
68. A. because B. since C. as D. due
69. A. numbers B. sums C. figures D. total
70. A. take B. get C. look D. carry

E. WRITING A PARAGRAPH

In 100-120 words, write a paragraph about some traditions of a certain country.