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Passage Two Entire cultures operate on elaborate systems of indirectness. For example, I discovered in a small research project that most Greeks assumed that a wife who asked , “Would you like to go to the party?” was hinting that she wanted to go. They felt that she wouldn’t bring it up if she didn’t want to go. Furthermore, they felt, she would not state her preference directly because that would sound like a demand. Indirectness was the appropriate means for communicating her preference.Japanese culture has developed indirectness to a fine art. For example, a Japanese professor, Harumi Befu, explains the delicate exchange of indirectness required by a simple invitation to lunch. When his friend extended the invitation, Befu first had to determine whether it was meant literally or just a ritual, much as an American might say, “We’ll have to have you over for dinner some time” but would not expect you to turn up at the door. Having decided the invitation was meant literally and having accepted, Befu was then asked what she would like to eat. Following custom, he said anything would do, but his friend, also following custom, pressed him to specify. Host and guest repeated this exchange an appropriate number of times, until Befu thought it polite to answer the question—polite—by saying that tea over rice would be fine. When he arrived for lunch, he was indeed served tea over rice—as the last course of a luxurious meal. Befu was not surprised by the feast, because he knew that custom required it. Had he been given what he asked for, he would have been insulted. But custom also required that he make a great show of being surprised. What is the main idea of the passage?

Passage ThreeIn western culture, an engagement begins with “yes” to a simple question: “Will you marry me?” These heart-stopping words often come with a beautiful diamond ring. The man making the proposal may get down on one knee. In fact, men have relied on this simple, romantic method of proposing marriage for years.Today, this is no longer true for everyone. Consider how Justin Firestone proposed to Natalie Abreu.The couple took a helicopter tour over the black sands of Honomanu Bay, Hawaii. Suddenly Abreu saw "Will you marry me Natalie?" spelled out below with coconuts. Her answer was an astonished "Yes!"Firestone's proposal took weeks of planning and help from a professional.But for men like him, the effort put into the proposal was worth it. Many guys want to show how serious they are about marriage through an impressive proposal. Some even want to give their future brides something to brag about.Public proposals—at sports games, concerts and other events—are common. But some men don't settle for their proposal scrolling（滚动） across a big screen before thousands. Millions saw Joe Uva's proposal on a reality TV show. His girlfriend, Laura O'Donnell, walked into an office and saw friends and family holding flowers. With the cameras rolling, Uva walked out from among them to propose. O'Donnell said yes, to the relief of Uva and his audience.Other men have chosen proposals that reflect the couple's unique relationship. Such proposals take place at a favorite restaurant or involve a shared hobby. Bernie Peng, for example, programs video games, and Tammy Li enjoys playing them. When Peng proposed to Li, he made a small change in her favorite game. When she played it, a ring and marriage proposal appeared. They recently got married!These men were confident they would get the answer they wanted. but that's not the point: Creative proposals leave memories to be cherished.What will men do in a traditional proposal?

Passage Four A British teenager has become a multi-millionair after selling an application software he created to web giant Yahoo. The deal is reported to be worth up to 30 million dollars and includes a position working on Yahoo’s future mobile projects. Nick D’Aloisio, 17, started his Summly app(应用软件) when he was just 15. He was studying for school exams and became frustrated at ploughing through lengthy online articles. He created the app to summarize long reports so that people could more easily understand the content. Yahoo’s boss of mobile content development Adam Cahan said: “It started with an insight that we live in a world of constant information and need new ways to simplify how we find the stories that are important to us, at a glance.”Nick taught himself to write software when he was 12 years old. He developed the bulk of his Summly app in his bedroom. He launched his app when he was 15 and it soon attracted over 1.5 million dollars of investment, including from Hollywood stars Kutcher and Stephen Fry.The purchase by Yahoo makes the British teen one of the world’s youngest self-made millionaires. He believes his connection with Yahoo is perfect, saying: “To me, Yahoo is the best company to be joining right now because it’s one of these classic Internet companies. With new leadership from Marissa Mayer, Yahoo has a strong focus on mobile and product, and that’s the perfect match for Summly.”He says his parents will help him manage the financial windfall(飞来之财) but that he was not driven to the deal by dollar signs. “Technology has really been the driver behind this whole deal,” he said. “I can’t wait to see how it plays out at Yahoo.”The British teenager has ______.