Promptness (迅速) and punctuality (准时) are major expectations in the American workplace. People who 1B appointments are considered to be dependable, and those who do not are seen as 2C . It is considered polite to 3A if one is going to be even a few minutes late. Arriving ten minutes late to a 4B business appointment (without having called ahead of time) is considered rude and conveys a 5C of organization. Some companies have been 6A to fine their executives 7B tardiness (缓慢;迟;拖拉) to meetings. This American cultural concern with every minute 8D with other cultures’ views about time. In many parts of Latin America, for example, 9B thirty to forty-five minutes late is not necessarily seen as 10D . Saying that one ran 11C an old friend could be a 12A excuse for tardiness but such an explanation would not be 13A in the American work-a-day world, 14B “time is money”。
在美国的工作环境中，迅速和准时的十分推崇的。守约的人被认为是可靠的，而那些失约的人则被认为是不可靠的。如果迟到，就算是几分钟，也必须电话告知，这是礼貌的做法。如果在一个预先定好的商务会议中迟到10分钟(而且没有提前打电话告知)，这会被认为是无礼的行为，而且是缺乏组织性的表现。有些公司会对那些开会迟到的主管采取罚款的惩罚，这是很多人都知道的。这个美国文化比其他文化更加注重时间概念。比如在拉丁美洲的一些地区，迟到30到40分钟并不会被认为是无礼的行为。碰到老朋友这种说法可以成为拖拉的有效借口，但是对于天天都是工作日的美国，这种说法是不可接受的，因为在美国，时间就是金钱。
The American workday usually begins at 8 a.m., 8:30 a.m., or 9 a.m., not at 8:10, 8:40, or 9:10. An employer who 15D that an employee is regularly coming in several minutes late may give the employee a 16D to be on time. In many countries, employees feel that they can stop working if the boss is not 17C . Of course, this also happens in the United States but Americans feel they are not 18A their time well if they are not 19A during most of the day. Perhaps because the American culture 20A daily progress, there is a great emphasis on not wasting time.
美国的上班时间通常是早上8点，8点半或者9点，而不会是在8点十分，8点40或者9点10分。如果老板见到有雇员总是迟到几分钟上班，那他就会警告此员工必须准时上班。在很多国家，雇员会觉得如果老板不在旁边，他们就可以停下手中的工作。当然这种情况在美国也有，但是美国人会觉得如果他们不能在一天大部分时间中有效产出，那他们就是没有有效地利用时间。也许是因为美国文化很看重每天所取得的进步，所以美国人非常珍惜一分一秒。
1.A. make B. keep C. call D. do
2.A. unbelievable B. unimaginative C. unreliable D. unchangeable
3.A. call B. tell C. talk D. say
4.A. fixed B. scheduled C. before D. prior
5.A. possess B. meaning C. lack D. concept
6.A. known B. famous C. demanded D. treated
7.A. since B. for C. after D. as
8.A. compares B. conquers C. deals D. contrasts
9.A. reaching B. arriving C. getting D. saying
10.A. disrespect B. dishonest C. disabled D. disrespectful
11.A. with B. off C. into D. for
12.A. sufficient B. enough C. reasonable D. sensible
13.A. acceptable B. regarded C. considered D. believable
14.A. when B. where C. which D. of which
15.A. thinks B. detects C. traces D. notices
16.A. threat B. punishment C. risk D. warning
17.A. well B. up C. around D. on
18.A. using B. taking C. making D. treating
19.A. productive B. prospective C. purposeful D. hasty
20.A. values B. evaluates C. estimates D. focuses
