As I was leaving to meet Lynne, my roommate told me that I'd better take some money, but I didn't
listen to him. I thought that Lynne would pay because she had invited me.
I arrived at the restaurant exactly on time. I'd been told that Americans expect you to be on time.
Lynne and I sat at a table in the corner of the restaurant and a waitress came and took our order. The
dinner was a great success. I talked a lot about Saudi Arabia and Lynne told me all about herself. After
two hours the waitress finally came and asked if we wanted one check or two. Lynne said two. We
went to the cashier and Lynne paid her check. I was embarrassed (尴尬) when the cashier gave me my
bill. I had no money to pay for my meal. Then I had an idea. I pretended to look for something in my
pockets and said,"Oh!I forgot my money! Can I call my roommate, please?" The cashier showed me
where the phone was and I quickly called my roommate.
In a few minutes he arrived with some money,but he couldn't hide how he felt. He laughed all the way
home.
Now, I think it's funny too. But at the time I was terribly embarrassed. I thought that an invitation to
have dinner meant the same thing in the United States as in my country. I guess you have to understand
that your customs are only your customs. When you visit a foreign country, you have to learn about their
customs, too.
1. The writer's roommate advised the writer to take some money with him to________.
A. pay for the table
B. share the cost of the meal
C. invite Lynne to dinner
D. pay for the restaurant
2. The roommate laughed all the way home because the writer________.
A. was embarrassed when he couldn't pay his breakfast
B. telephoned him to bring some books to him
C. hadn't told Lynne the truth
D. would not listen to him when he left the house
3. The writer and Lynne________.
A. enjoyed their meal very much
B. successfully finished their meal
C. had a talk for two hours
D. traveled to Saudi Arabia together
4. Customs can be ________in different countries according to this passage.
A. quite the same
B. entirely different
C. close to each other
D. very similar
5. Why didn't Lynne pay the check for the writer?
A. Because she didn't have enough money with her.
B. Because she didn't have the meal.
C. Because she thought it was natural for people to pay their own check.
D. Because she wanted to embarrass the writer.
