OurculturehascausedmostAmericanstoassumenotonlythatourl...

问题详情：

Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language is universal but that the gestures we use are understood by do not realize that waving goodbye is the way to summon a person from the Philippines to one's side，or that in Italy and some Latin­American countries，curling the finger to oneself is a sign of farewell.

Those private citizens who sent packages to our troops occupying Germany after World War Ⅱ and marked them GIFT to escape duty payments did not bother to find out that“Gift” means poison in over，we like to think of ourselves as friendly，yet we prefer to be at least 3 feet or an arm's length away from ns and Middle Easterners like to come closer and touch，which makes Americans uncomfortable.

Our linguistic(语言的)and cultural blindness and the casualness  with which we take notice of the developed tastes，gestures，customs and languages of other countries，are losing our friends，business and respect in the world.

Even here in the United States，we make few concessions(让步) to the needs of foreign e are no information signs in four languages on our public buildings or monuments；we do not have multilingual (多语的) guided few restaurant menus have translations，and multilingual waiters，bank clerks and policemen are transportation systems have maps in English only and often we ourselves have difficulty understanding them.

When we go abroad，we tend to stay in hotels and restaurants where English is attitudes and information we pick up are conditioned by those natives—usually the richer—who speak business dealings，as well as the nation's diplomacy (外交)，are conducted through interpreters.

For many years，America and Americans could get by with cultural blindness and linguistic r all，America was the most powerful country of the free world，the distributor(分发者)of needed funds and goods.

But all that is ican dollars no longer buy all good things，and we are slowly beginning to realize that our proper role in the world is changing.A 1979 Harris poll reported that 55 percent of Americans want this country to play a more significant role in world affairs; we want to have a hand in the important decisions of the next century，even though it may not always be the upper hand.

36．It can be inferred that Americans being approached too closely by Middle Easterners would most probably________.

A．stand still                     B．jump aside

C．step forward                    D．draw back

37．The author gives many examples to criticize Americans for their ________.

A．cultural self­centeredness

B．casual manners

C．indifference toward foreign visitors

D．pride towards other cultures

38．In countries other than their own，most Americans ________.

A．are isolated by the local people

B．are not well informed due to the language barrier

C．tend to get along well with the natives

D．need interpreters in hotels and restaurants

39．According to the author，Americans' cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance will________.

A．affect their image in the new era

B．cut themselves off from the outside world

C．limit their role in world affairs

D．weaken the position of the US dollar

40．The author intends to make Americans realize that it is ________.

A．dangerous to ignore their foreign friends

B．important to maintain their leading role in world affairs

C．necessary to use several languages in public places

D．time to get familiar with other cultures

【回答】

DABCD

知识点：*经济文化类阅读

题型：阅读理解