阅读理解。
The other day, my friend Jane was invited to a 40th birthday party. The time printed on the invitation
was 7:0 pm. Jane went off with her husband, expecting a merry evening of wine, food, and song.
By 9:45, everybody was having great fun, but no food had appeared. Jane and David were restless.
Other guests began whispering that they, too, were starving. But no one wanted to leave, just in case some
food was about to appear. By 11:00, there was still no food, and everyone was completely off their heads.
Jane and David left hungry and angry.
Their experience suggests that the words and the printed invitations need to be made clearer. Everyone
reads and understands the invitations differently. Most of us would agree that 6:30-8:30pm means drinks
only, go out to dinner afterwards; 8:00 pm or 8:30 pm means possible dinner, but 9:30 pm and any time
thereafter means no food, oat beforehand, roll up late.
But this is not always the case. If asked to a students' party at 6:30 pm, it is normal for guests not to
appear before midnight, if at all, and no one cares. Being the first to arrive-looking eager-is social death.
When my mother is asked to a party for 6:30, she likes to be them, if not on lime, then no later than seven.
My age group (late thirties) falls somewhere between the two, but because we still think we're young,
we're probably closer to student-time than grown-up time.
The accepted custom at present is confusing (混乱的), sometimes annoying, and it often means you
may go home hungry, but it does lend every party that precious element (成分) of surprise.
1. The underlined words "off their heads" probably mean ______.
A. tired
B. crazy
C. curious
D. hopeless
2. Jane and David' s story is used to show that ______.
A. petty-goer8 usually get hungry at parties
B. party invitations can be confusing
C. people should ask for food at parties
D. birthday parties for middle-aged people are dull
3. For some young people, arriving on time for a students' party will probably be considered ______.
A. very difficult
B. particularly thoughtful
C. friendly and polite
D. socially unacceptable
4. According to the writer, people in their late thirties ______.
A. are likely to arrive late for a party
B. care little about the party time
C. haven' t really grown up yet
D. like surprises at parties
5. What is the general idea of the text?
A. It' s safe to arrive late just when food is served.
B. It' s wise to eat something before going to a party.
C. It' s important to follow social rules of party-going.
D. It' s necessary to read invitations carefully.
