In an American university, students are expected to arrive at the appointed hour. In contrast, in Brazil, neither the teacher nor the students always arrive at the appointed hour. Classes not only begin at the scheduled time in the United States, but also end at the scheduled time. In the Brazilian class, only a few students left the class at 12∶00; many remained past 12∶30 to discuss the class and ask more questions. While arriving late may not be very important in Brazil, neither is staying late.

26.The word ‘punctual’ most probably means ___.
   A.leaving soon after class
   B.coming early
   C.arriving a few minutes late
   D.being on time

27.Why did the professor study the Brazilian students’behavior?
   A.He felt puzzled at the students' being late.
   B.He felt angry at the students' rudeness.
   C.He wanted to make the students come on time later.
   D.He wanted to collect data for one of his studies.

28.It can be inferred from the professor’s study of lateness in the informal situation that ____,
  A.American students will become impatient if their friend is five minutes late
  B.neither Brazilian nor American students like being late in social gatherings
  C.being late in one culture may not be considered so in another culture
  D.Brazilian students will not come thirty-three minutes after the agreed time

29.From the last paragraph we know that in Brazil ____. 
   A.it is important to arrive at the appointed time
   B.it is rude to keep the professor staying after calls
   C.it is normal for students to leave during lectures
   D.it is acceptable for professors to be late for class.

30.What is the main idea of this passage?
   A.It is important to be on time for class in the United States.
   B.The importance of being on time differs among cultures.
   C.People learn the importance of time from the culture they are in.
   D.Students being late for class should explain the reason to their teacher.

Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.

Conflict, like stress, is a natural phenomenon when people interact. Conflict in some form is always present; however, It is not always negative. Conflict can be positive, for example, when you and your colleagues try to select the best possible alternative to a problem. However, much more attention is given to the negative aspects of conflict.
Conflict occurs when we fear the unknown. This can be very simple: someone says something in a tone of voice different from our expectations, which raises questions in our mind as to what the real meaning might be. Of course conflict can, and does, occur in much more serious circumstances.

Your ability to detect and understand conflict will place you in a better position to control the situation. Conflict is often categorized in three stages. Stage one is the day-to-day irritations(恼人的事)that require minimal coping strategies. Stage one conflict is real but low in intensity. The intensity can increase if irritations increase and no solution is found.