1997年Passage 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 American 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

[答案] D

[解題思路]

文章開篇第一句話指出"A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly, courteous, and helpful most Americans were to them"（去過美國的人經常帶回報告說，大多數美國人對他們非常友善、好客、且他們都很樂于助人），因此顯而易見D為正確答案。A選項與第一段第四句話"There are, of course, exceptions. Small minded officials, rude waiters, and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US"（在美國，心胸狹隘的官員，舉止粗魯的招待和缺乏教養的出租車司機也并非罕見）的意思相反。B選項與原文不符，因為第一段最后一句話提到的"deserve comments"指的是美國人對人熱情友好這一現象。而C選項與該段第二句話"To be fair, this observation is also frequently made of Canada and Canadians, and should best be considered North American"（公正地說，人們對加拿大和加拿大人也有這樣的評論，因而，應當認為這是北美一個普遍的現象）的意思相反，也是錯誤選項。

[題目譯文]

在外來游客的眼中，          。
[A] 粗魯的出租車司機在美國很少見
[B] 心胸狹窄的官員們應該得到嚴肅的批評
[C] 加拿大人們不如他們的鄰國人友好
[D] 大多數美國人都樂于助人

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

[答案] C

[解題思路]

本題對應于文章第二段的最后一句話"Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world"（因此陌生人和旅行者很受歡迎，他們給當地人帶來了娛樂消遣，同時還帶來了外面世界的消息），因此C選項為正確答案，選項中的flavor與原文的diversion對應。

[題目譯文]

在偏遠地區的人家過去款待陌生人的原因在于             。
[A] 為了改善他們的艱苦生活
[B] 由于游客長途跋涉
[C] 為了該自己的日常生活增添一些特色
[D] 一時沖動做好事

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] was something to do with the busy tourist trails

[答案] B

[解題思路]

本題的對應信息在文章第四段，該段第二句話說"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"（不過，熱情接待陌生人的傳統在美國仍然非常流行，尤其是在遠離旅游熱線的小城鎮），選項符合題意，而D選項與該句的意思相左。A選型與該段最后一句話"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"（很多美國人在不經意間表現出的友好不應被看做是表面應酬或故作姿態，而應該視為是在歷史發展中形成的一種文化傳統）意思相反，是錯誤選項。C選項與該段倒數第二句話"Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon, but are not always understood properly"（來美國的旅客中碰到這種事件的還不少，但他們并非對這個現象都能正確理解）的意思也是相反的，因而也是錯誤的。

[題目譯文]

款待陌生人的傳統          。
[A] 往往是膚淺的、虛偽的
[B] 總的來說在美國很好地保持了下來
[C] 總是得到正確的理解
[D] 與繁忙的旅游路線有關