黑暗版阅读真题解析1997Text 2
A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly, courteous, and helpful most Americans were to them. To be fair, this observation is also frequently made of Canada and Canadians, and should best be considered North American. There are, of course, exceptions. Small-minded officials, rude waiters, and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US. Yet it is an observation made so frequently that it deserves comment.
For a long period of time and in many parts of the country, a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence. Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another. Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world.
The harsh realities of the frontier also shaped this tradition of hospitality. Someone traveling alone, if hungry, injured, or ill, often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest cabin or settlement. It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable impulse on the part of the settlers. It reflected the harshness of daily life: if you didn't take in the stranger and take care of him, there was no one else who would. And someday, remember, you might be in the same situation.
Today there are many charitable organizations which specialize in helping the weary traveler. Yet, the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US, especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist trails. "I was just traveling through, got talking with this American, and pretty soon he invited me home for dinner - amazing." Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon, but are not always understood properly. The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition.
As is true of any developed society, in America a complex set of cultural signals, assumptions, and conventions underlies all social interrelationships. And, of course, speaking a language does not necessarily mean that someone understands social and cultural patterns. Visitors who fail to "translate" cultural meanings properly often draw wrong conclusions. For example, when an American uses the word "friend", the cultural implications of the word may be quite different from those it has in the visitor's language and culture. It takes more than a brief encounter on a bus to distinguish between courteous convention and individual interest. Yet, being friendly is a virtue that many Americans value highly and expect from both neighbors and strangers.
55. In the eyes of visitors from the outside world, ________.
[A] rude taxi drivers are rarely seen in the US
[B] small-minded officials deserve a serious comment
[C] Canadians are not so friendly as their neighbors
[D] most Americans are ready to offer help
56. It could be inferred from the last paragraph that ________.
[A] culture exercises an influence over social interrelationship
[B] courteous convention and individual interest are interrelated
[C] various virtues manifest themselves exclusively among friends
[D] social interrelationships equal the complex set of cultural conventions
57. Families in frontier settlements used to entertain strangers ________.
[A] to improve their hard life
[B] in view of their long-distance travel
[C] to add some flavor to their own daily life
[D] out of a charitable impulse
58. The tradition of hospitality to strangers ________.
[A] tends to be superficial and artificial
[B] is generally well kept up in the United States
[C] is always understood properly
[D] has something to do with the busy tourist trails
猜你喜欢
- 出国留学中介前十名介绍 沪江是最好的选择
想要出国留学却没有时间没有精力去办理出国留学的手续,这个时候寻找一个好的出国留学中介就成了最好的办法,好的中介可以让自己更合理的去挑选自己喜欢的国家和学校,而且中介还有出国培训相关的内容,这...
- 日本动漫游戏:学校的圣域
feng社第9作第1弹《彼女のセイイキ(她的圣域)》,而系列的第2弹《妹的圣域》已于2015年08月28日发售,系列第3弹《学校的圣域》在2016年11月发售。
- 日本惊悚恐怖电影《裸体之夜:掠夺狂爱》
《裸体之夜2:掠夺狂爱》是由石井隆执导,竹中直人、佐藤宽子等领衔主演日本惊悚情色电影。该片讲述了主人公红次郎替年轻女孩加藤怜寻找叫“多绘”的救命恩人,结果踏入充满危机的“粉红”漩涡中。
- 秒变单身狗:哪些话不能对恋人说
恋爱初期总是美好而甜蜜的,然而两人长期处下来,就会发现对方的不足之处。生气起来口不择言,结果深深的伤害到两人的感情。这期给大家介绍一些对恋人可不能说的一些话。
- 「こんにちわ」是个啥?你知道吗?
常逛日站或是和日本朋友聊天的小伙伴们肯定经常会听到一句:こんにちわ,从发音上我们可以猜出来是こんにちは,但是这个こんにちわ是怎么来的呢?他又是什么呢?下面就让沪江日语教研君来告诉你吧!
- 日本礼仪:你真的会斟酒吗?
走进社会,我们不仅要在工作上努力努力再努力,还要一边学习一些社交礼仪。酒会作为一种常见的社交活动,学会其中的斟酒礼仪也是一门学问。今日,小编给大家整理了日本的斟酒礼仪供大家参考学习。
- 动漫日语脱口而出:痛痛飞走了
看动漫不学日语?那就太可惜啦!花花团小组节目《动漫日语每日一句》,每天教大家一句动漫中的实用台词,让你在看动漫的同时学到地道日语口语。爱动漫,爱生活!一起来练习口语吧!