The other day，my friend Jane was invited to a 40th birthday party．The printed on the invitation was 7：30 pm．Jane went off with her husband。Expecting a merry evening of wine，food，and song．
By 9：45，everybody was having great fun，but no food had appeared．Jane David were restless．0ther guests began whispering that they，too，were starving.But no one wanted to leave．just in case some food was about to appear．By 11：there was still no food．And everyone was completely off their heads . Jane and D left hungry and angry．
Their experience suggests that the words on the printed invitations need to be
made clearer． Everyone reads and understands the invitations differently．Most of
us would agree that 6：30——8：30 pm means drinks only，go out to dinner afterwards
8：00 pm or 8：30 pm means possible dinner，but 9：30 pm and any time thereafter
means no food，eat beforehand，and roll up late．
But this is not always the case．If asked to a students’party at 6：30 pm， normal for guests not to appear before midnight，if at all，and no one cares．Being
the first to arrive——looking eager——is social death．When my mother is asked to a party for 6：30，she likes to be there，if not on time，then no later than seven．
age group(1ate thirties)falls somewhere between the two，but because we still think
we’re young，we’re probably closer to student-time than grown—up time．
The accepted custom at present is confusing(混乱的)，sometimes annoying
and it often means you may go home hungry，but it does lend every party that precious
element of surprise．
1．The underlined words“off their heads”probably mean_____.
A．tired B．crazy C．curious D．hopeless
2．Jane and David’s story is used to show that_____.
A．partygoers usually get hungry at parties
B．Party invitations can be confusing
C．people should ask for food at parties
D．birthday parties for middle-aged people are dull
3. For some young people arriving on time for a students’ party will probably
be considered.
A. very difficult B．particularly thoughtful
C．friendly and polite D．Socially unacceptable
4．According to the writer people in their late thirties______ ．
A．are likely to arrive late for a party
B．care little about the party time
C．haven’t really grown up yet
D．1ike surprises at parties
5．What is the general idea of the text?
A．It’s safe to arrive late just when food is served．
B．It’s wise to eat something before going to a party．
C．It’s important to foIlow social rules of party—going．
D．It’s necessary to read invitations carefully．