Question

I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”

Foreign tourists are often confused in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks (地標(biāo)) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”

In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”

People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.

It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, ‘Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite, They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!

1.When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place they usually _________

A. describe the place carefully

B. show him a map of the place

C. tell him the names of the streets

D. refer to recognizable buildings and places

2.What is the place where people measure distance in time?

A. New York. B. Los Angeles. C. Kansas. D. Iowa.

3.People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ________

A. in order to save time B. as a test C. so as to be polite D. for fun

4.What can we infer from the text?

A. It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences.

B. It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.

C. People have similar understandings of politeness.

D. New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.

 

Answer 1

1.D

2.B

3.C

4.A

【解析】

試題分析：文章大意：“我”喜歡旅游，多年的旅游讓我發(fā)現(xiàn)在不同的地方問路，人們指方向的方式就不一樣。所以，對旅行者來說了解不同地方的文化差異很重要。

1.D細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段in Japan, people use landmarks in their directions instead of street names.所以答案選D。

2. B 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。 根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles.可知正確答案為B。

3.C 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)最后一段People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite, They usually give an answer, often a wrong one.可知答案選C、出于禮貌。

4.4】A 推理判斷題。根據(jù)第一段主題段I find out different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”以及下文舉例說明，可以推斷A項正確。對旅行者來說了解不同地方的文化差異很重要。

考點：考查社會類短文閱讀