Задание 24 на тексты и заголовки

A) I’ve never been much for guidebooks, so when trying to get my bearings in a strange American city, I normally start by asking the cab driver or hotel clerk some silly question regarding the latest census figures. I say silly because I don’t care how many people live in Olympia, Washington, or Columbus, Ohio. My second question might have to do with average annual rainfall, which, again, doesn’t tell me anything about the people who have chosen to call this place home.

B) What really interests me are the local gun laws. Can I carry a concealed weapon, and if so, under what circumstances? What’s the waiting period for a tommy gun? Bide your time, and you can walk away with some excellent stories. I’ve heard, for example, that the blind can legally hunt in both Texas and Michigan. They must be accompanied by a sighted companion, but still, it seems a bit risky. I ask about guns not because I want one of my own but because the answers vary so widely from state to state.

C) Guns aren’t really an issue in Europe, so when I’m traveling abroad, my first question usually relates to barnyard animals. ‘What do your roosters say?’ is a good question, as every country has its own unique interpretation. In Germany the rooster greets the dawn with a hearty ‘kik-a-ricki’ Greek roosters crow ‘kiri-a-kee’, and in France they scream ‘coco-rico’. When told that an American rooster says ‘cock-a-doodle-doo’, my hosts look at me with disbelief and pity.

D) ‘When do you open your Christmas presents?’ is another good question as it explains a lot about national character. People who traditionally open gifts on Christmas Eve seem a bit more pious and family oriented than those who wait until Christmas morning. Gifts are generally reserved for children, and the parents tend not to exaggerate. In France and Germany, gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve, while in Holland the children receive presents on December 5, in celebration of Saint Nicholas Day.

E) Unlike the jolly, obese American Santa, Saint Nicholas is painfully thin and dresses like a priest. His outfit is a carryover from his former career, when he served as a bishop in Turkey. While American Santa flies on a sled, Saint Nicholas arrives by boat and then transfers to a white horse. I’m not sure if there’s a set date, but he generally docks in late November and spends a few weeks hanging out and asking people what they want.

F) In the years before central heating, Dutch children would leave their shoes by the fireplace, the promise being that Saint Nicholas would fill your clogs with presents. Now that so few people have a working fireplace, Dutch children are instructed to leave their shoes beside the radiator, furnace, or space heater. Saint Nicholas, I guess, gets to your room through the pipes and electrical wires. It’s best not to think about it too hard.

G) American Christmas story remains relatively simple. Santa lives with his wife in a remote polar village and spends one night a year traveling around the world. If you’re bad, he leaves you coal. If you’re good, he’ll give you just about anything you want. A Dutch parent tells his children, ‘The former bishop from Turkey will be coming. He might put some candy in your shoes, he might stuff you in a sack and take you to Spain. We don’t know for sure, but we want you to be prepared.’

A) – 7
B) – 3
C) – 5
D) – 8
E) – 1
F) – 6
G) – 4