阅读理解
I hated dinner parties.But I decided to give them another shot because I'm in London.And my friend
Mallery invited me.And because dinner parties in London are very different from those back in New
York.There, "I'm having a dinner party" means:"I'm booking a table for 12 at a restaurant you can't
afford and we'll be sharing the cheque evenly, no matter what y
ou eat."Worse, in Manhattan there is
always someone who leaves before the bill arrives.They'll throw down cash, half of what they owe, and
then people like me, who don't drink,end up paying even more.But if I try to use the same trick,the
hostess will shout:"Where are you going?"And it's not like I can say I have somewhere to go:everyone
knows I have nowhere to go.
But in London, dinner parties are in people's homes.Not only that, the guests are an interesting mix.
The last time I went to one, the guests were from France, India, Denmark and Nigeria; it was like a
gathering at the United Nations.In New York, the mix is less striking.It's like a gathering at Bloomingdale's, a wellknown department store.
For New Yorkers,talking about other parts of the world means Brooklyn and Queens in New York
.But at Mallery's, when I said that I had been to Myanmar recently, people knew where it was.In New
York people would think it was a usual new club.
1. What does the word "shot" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Choice.
B. Try.
C. Style.
D. Goal.
2. What does the wr
iter dislike most about dinner parties in New York?
A. There is a strange mix of people.
B. The restaurants are expensive.
C. The bill is not fairly shared
.
D. People have to pay cash.
3. What does the author think of the parties in London?
A. A bit unusual.
B. Full of tricks.
C. Less costly.
D. More interesting.
4. What is the author's opinion of some New Yorkers from her exp
erience?
A. Easygoing.
B. Selfcentred.
C. Generous.
D. Conservative.
