A foreigner’s first impression of the U.S. is likely to be that everyone is in a rush-often under pressure. City people appear always to be hurrying to get where they are going restlessly, seeking attention in a store, and elbowing others as they try to complete their errands(任务). Racing through daytime meals is part of the pace of life in this country. Working time is considered precious. Others in public eating places are waiting for you to finish so that they too can be served and get back to work within the time allowed. Each person hurries to make room for the next person. If you don’t, waiters will hurry you. You also find drivers will be abrupt and that people will push past you. You will miss smiles, brief conversations, and small courtesies with strangers. Don’t take it personally. This is because people value time highly, and they resent someone else “wasting” it beyond a certain courtesy point. The view of time affects the importance we attach to patience. In the American system of values, patience is not a high priority. Many of us have what might be called “a short fuse”. We begin to move restlessly about if we feel time is slipping away without some return be this in terms of pleasure, work value, or rest. Those coming from land where time is looked upon differently may find this matter of pace to be one of their most difficult adjustments in both business and daily life. Many newcomers to the States will miss the opening courtesy of a business call, for example, they will miss the ritual socializing that goes with a welcoming cup of tea or coffee they may be traditional in their own country. They may miss leisurely business chats in a café or coffeehouse. Normally, Americans do not assess their visitors in such relaxed surroundings over prolonged small talks. We seek out evidence of past performance rather than evaluate a business colleague through social courtesies. Since we generally assess and probe professionally rather than socially, we start talking business very quickly. 1. Which of the following statements is wrong? A. Americans seem to be always under pressure. B. Americans attach less importance to patience. C. Americans don’t care much about ritual socializing. D. Americans are impolite to their business colleagues. 2. In the fourth paragraph, “a high priority” means_______. A. a less important thing B. a first concern C. a good business D. an attractive gift 3. Americans evaluate a business colleague__________. A. through social courtesy B. through prolonged business talks C. by establishing business relations D. by learning about their past performance 4. This passage mainly talks about _____________________. A. how Americans treasure their time B. how busy Americans are every day C how Americans do business with foreigners D. what American way of life is like 5. We can infer from the passage that the author’s tone in writing is __________. A. critical B. ironical C. appreciative D. objective
A foreigner’s first impression of the U.S. is likely to be that everyone is in a rush-often under pressure. City people appear always to be hurrying to get where they are going restlessly, seeking attention in a store, and elbowing others as they try to complete their errands(任务). Racing through daytime meals is part of the pace of life in this country. Working time is considered precious. Others in public eating places are waiting for you to finish so that they too can be served and get back to work within the time allowed. Each person hurries to make room for the next person. If you don’t, waiters will hurry you. You also find drivers will be abrupt and that people will push past you. You will miss smiles, brief conversations, and small courtesies with strangers. Don’t take it personally. This is because people value time highly, and they resent someone else “wasting” it beyond a certain courtesy point. The view of time affects the importance we attach to patience. In the American system of values, patience is not a high priority. Many of us have what might be called “a short fuse”. We begin to move restlessly about if we feel time is slipping away without some return be this in terms of pleasure, work value, or rest. Those coming from land where time is looked upon differently may find this matter of pace to be one of their most difficult adjustments in both business and daily life. Many newcomers to the States will miss the opening courtesy of a business call, for example, they will miss the ritual socializing that goes with a welcoming cup of tea or coffee they may be traditional in their own country. They may miss leisurely business chats in a café or coffeehouse. Normally, Americans do not assess their visitors in such relaxed surroundings over prolonged small talks. We seek out evidence of past performance rather than evaluate a business colleague through social courtesies. Since we generally assess and probe professionally rather than socially, we start talking business very quickly.
1. Which of the following statements is wrong?
A. Americans seem to be always under pressure. B. Americans attach less importance to patience. C. Americans don’t care much about ritual socializing. D. Americans are impolite to their business colleagues.
2. In the fourth paragraph, “a high priority” means_______.
A. a less important thing B. a first concern C. a good business D. an attractive gift
3. Americans evaluate a business colleague__________.
A. through social courtesy B. through prolonged business talks C. by establishing business relations D. by learning about their past performance
4. This passage mainly talks about _____________________.
A. how Americans treasure their time B. how busy Americans are every day C how Americans do business with foreigners D. what American way of life is like
5. We can infer from the passage that the author’s tone in writing is __________.
A. critical B. ironical C. appreciative D. objective
题目解答
答案
1-D, 2-B, 3-D, 4-A, 5-C
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解析
文章主要描述了美国人的生活节奏和时间观念，以及这种观念对日常生活和商业交往的影响。文章指出，美国人似乎总是处于压力之下，他们重视时间，不重视耐心，也不太重视礼节性的社交活动。在商业交往中，美国人更注重对方的过去表现，而不是通过社交礼仪来评估对方。
步骤 2：分析问题
问题1要求找出错误的陈述，问题2要求解释“a high priority”的含义，问题3要求找出美国人评估商业伙伴的方式，问题4要求找出文章的主要内容，问题5要求找出作者的语气。
步骤 3：回答问题
问题1：根据文章内容，选项D（美国人对他们的商业伙伴不礼貌）是错误的，因为文章并没有提到美国人对商业伙伴不礼貌，而是说他们更注重对方的过去表现，而不是通过社交礼仪来评估对方。
问题2：根据文章内容，“a high priority”指的是“a first concern”，即“首要关注点”。
问题3：根据文章内容，美国人评估商业伙伴的方式是“by learning about their past performance”，即“通过了解他们的过去表现”。
问题4：根据文章内容，文章主要谈论的是“how Americans treasure their time”，即“美国人如何珍惜时间”。
问题5：根据文章内容，作者的语气是“objective”，即“客观的”。