阅读理解。
A simple flower made headlines in the British press last week. How could that be?
British Prime Minister David Cameron and his ministers were attending a reception hosted by Chinese
Premier Wen Jiabao in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. They insisted on wearing poppies (罂粟花)
in their buttonholes.
What's wrong with that?
According to the Global Times, Chinese officials apparently had asked the UK delegation not to wear
poppies. The British said that their poppies meant a great deal to them and they would wear them all the
time.
So what's the significance of the poppy? It's a flower which has different cultural and symbolic
meanings for British and Chinese people.
From the Chinese point of view, the poppy is a symbol of China's humiliation (dishonor) at the hands
of European powers in the Opium Wars of the 19th century. Britain forced China to open its borders to
trade-including in the narcotic opium (a drug that affects your mind in a harmful way)-which was made
from poppies grown in India.
Yet from the British viewpoint the poppy is a reminder of the killing during World War I. Blood-red
poppies grew on the battlefields of Flanders in Belgium where many thousands of British, Belgian and
French soldiers died or were buried.Since then, Poppy Day or Remembrance Day (November 11) has
become a time in the UK to remember the sacrifices of British soldiers and civilians in times of war.
So you can see that the poppy set off strong feelings in the hearts of Chinese and British people for
different reasons. And it makes sense for us to try to understand each other's standpoint.
Of course cultural differences can also be interesting and funny. And what one nation or nation's
leader thinks is an acceptable gift may be viewed very differently by their guest from overseas. US
President Barack Obama famously gave a gift of an iPod to Britain's queen-a dull person with no interest
in music. Obama also presented Gordon Brown(when Brown was British prime minister) with a fine
selection of American movies. But they were in US format and impossible to play on British DVD players.
Many countries have diplomats stationed overseas. Diplomats provide information and advice to their
governments back home. However, sometimes it would seem that even diplomats can overlook the cultural
significance of a small flower.
1. British Prime Minister David Cameron probably attended a reception in Beijing on _____.
A. October 1
B. November 11
C. December 31
D. January 1
2. The poppy reminds the Chinese of _____.
A. the shame caused by European countries in the 19th century
B. the British soldiers killed and buried during world War
C. the Chinese soldiers killed during World War
D. the suffering cause by British during World War
3. The diplomatic problem in Beijing is mainly caused by ____.
A. the translation mistake
B. the language difference
C. the cultural difference
D. the different lifestyle
4. We can infer that ____.
A. Britain's Queen is not interested in art
B. Gordon Brown was fond of American movies US President Barack Obama sent him
C. US President Barack Obama received a gift for music
D. Britain's Queen may not like the iPod US President Barack Obama presented her
