On a rainy afternoon, my grandfather and I were waiting at
the train station to welcome his old Indian friend, Mr Sharma.
As he approached, Grandpa smiled and brought his hands
together in a gentle Namaste. Mr Sharma immediately stopped
and returned a more solemn Namaste, his fingertips lightly
touching his forehead. They went back and forth in this silent
dance, each Namaste held slightly higher than the last.
I watched, completely puzzled. “Why don’t you just shake
hands?” I whispered later.
Grandpa smiled and explained, “The forms are different,
but the meaning is the same. His Namaste and my Namaste—
both say ‘I see you, and I respect you’.”
His words stayed with me. The Indian Namaste, the
Chinese gesture of Gongshou and the Western handshake—
they may look different on the surface, but deep down, they
share the same essence(本质). They are all ways to show
respect, to say “you matter” without uttering(说) a word.
While customs may change across rivers and mountains,
the language of respect is universal. True courtesy isn’t about
remembering every rule; it lies in the sincere intention behind
our actions. It’s a lesson that bridges all cultures.
()46. What were the writer and his grandfather doing at the
train station on the rainy afternoon?
A. They were waiting for the writer’s parents.
B. They were waiting to meet Mr Sharma, Grandpa’s
old Indian friend.
C. They were planning to take a train to visit Mr Sharma.
D. They were helping Mr Sharma carry his luggage.
()47. What does the underlined word “solemn” mean?
A. Casual and relaxed. B. Serious and respectful.
C. Quick and careless. D. Funny and interesting.
()48. Why did the writer feel puzzled when watching
Grandpa and Mr Sharma?
A. Because Mr Sharma didn’t smile at Grandpa.
B. Because Grandpa didn’t know how to shake hands
with Mr Sharma.
C. Because they kept doing the Namaste instead of
shaking hands.
D. Because they didn’t talk to each other at all.
()49. Which of the following would be the best title for the
passage?
A. A Rainy Afternoon at the Train Station
B. Different Greetings in Different Countries
C. The Universal Language of Respect
D. My Grandfather and His Indian Friend
D

46.B 47.B 48.C 49.C

【分析】
做该阅读理解题时，需根据题型采用对应解题方法：细节题定位原文对应语句匹配选项；词义题结合上下文语境与文化背景推断；主旨题关注核心观点句提炼主题。46题定位首句明确等待对象；47题结合Namaste的礼仪含义及上下文对比推断词义；48题定位作者提问句找困惑原因；49题抓住最后一段核心观点确定主旨。
【解析】
46题：根据原文第一段“my grandfather and I were waiting at the train station to welcome his old Indian friend, Mr Sharma.”可知，两人在火车站等待爷爷的印度老朋友，对应选项B；A、C、D均与原文不符。
47题：Namaste是表示尊重的礼仪，爷爷的是“gentle（温和的）”，Mr Sharma的是更“solemn”，结合后文爷爷解释Namaste的含义是“respect（尊重）”，可知solemn意为“严肃且尊重的”，对应选项B；A、C、D不符合语境。
48题：原文作者困惑后问“Why don’t you just shake hands?”，说明他困惑的是两人一直在做Namaste而非握手，对应选项C；A、B、D均不是困惑原因。
49题：最后一段点明“the language of respect is universal（尊重的语言是通用的）”，是文章核心主旨，对应选项C；A、B、D均为细节而非主旨。
【答案】
46.B 47.B 48.C 49.C
【知识点】
英语阅读理解、文化礼仪类阅读
【点评】
本文通过跨文化问候礼仪的小故事，传递尊重是通用语言的核心，考查学生细节定位、词义推测与主旨归纳能力，贴近生活，易于理解。
【难度系数】
0.6