look how strong she is!" So, I kept saying "I'm fine." Over and over and over. I said it enough - performed it enough - that I even fooled myself. I believed that I was okay.

　　But pain doesn't just "go away" - that whole "time heals" thing is a total crock. 30 years after my father died, when I looked around for an explanation for all the years of destructive behavior, I couldn't find the root of the pain in my life because I had covered it up so well. All the "I'm fine" - 30 years of them - buried the pain of that nine years old girl.

　　Her pain had been trying to come out, to be heard, to be healed.

　　And, finally, it was.

　　After years of treatment, I found my way back to that night where the pain started, back to the tsunami. This time, I didn't run. It hurt - it still hurts - but now, when it hurts, I let the pain come. Fm not scared to say, "I'm not fine" - because I know, eventually, I will be.

24. What did the author do when her father was in danger?

A. She ran out to look for rescue. B. She kept calm and asked for help.

C. She offered first aid to him at once. D. She was too afraid to do anything.

25. Which of the following can best replace the underlined word "crock" in Paragraph 5?

A. fact B. theory C. experiment D. lie

26. Why was the author praised?

A. behaved politely. B. She seemed to be confident.

C. She could look after herself. D. She could handle the blow properly.

27. What lesson can we get from the author's experience?

A. Hiding our pain can be harmful.

B. Expressing pain is not very easy.

C. Being strong means hiding one's pain.

D. Children are good at covering up their pain.

Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.

Different cultures emphasize the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries, like the UK or France, people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafe rather than at the office.

Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion, instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.

Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values, however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.

People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.

28.In some countries, eating together at restaurants may make it easler for people to__

A. get to know each other B. share the same culture