单选题
The discovery that language can be a barrier to
communication is quickly made by all who travel, study, govern or sell. Whether
the activity is tourism, research, government or business, the lack of a common
language can severely hinder progress or can halt it altogether.
Although communication problems of this kind must happen thousands of
times each day, very few become public knowledge. Publicity comes only when a
failure to communicate has major consequences, such as strikes, lost orders,
legal problems, or fatal accidents—even, at times of war. One reported instance
of communication failure took place in 1970, when several Americans ate a
species of poisonous mushroom. No remedy was known, and two of the people died
within days. A radio report of the case was heard by a chemist who knew of a
treatment that had been successfully used in 1959 and published in 1963. Why had
the American doctors not heard of it seven years later? Presumably because the
report of the treatment had been published only in journals written in European
languages other than English. The language barrier presents
itself to firms who wish to market their products in other countries. British
industry, in particular, had in recent decades often been criticized for its
linguistic insularity—for its assumption that foreign buyers will be happy to
communicate in English, and that awareness of other language is not therefore a
priority. The criticism and publicity given to this problem
since the 1960s seems to have greatly improved the situation. It is now much
more readily appreciated that marketing efforts can be delayed, damaged, or
disrupted by a failure to take account of the linguistic needs of the
customer. The changes in awareness have been most marked in
English-speaking countries, where the realization has gradually dawned that by
no means everyone in the world knows English well enough to negotiate in
it.
单选题
The case of poisonous mushrooms (Para. 2) suggests that American
doctors
A. should pay more attention to radio reports
B. only read medical articles if they are in English
C. are sometimes unwilling to try foreign treatments
D. do not always communicate effectively with their patients
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】从文章第二段最后一句Presumably because the report of the treatment had been published only in journals written in European languages other than English可推断出美国医生只阅读用英语发表的相关文章。
单选题
According to the passage, the linguistic insularity of British
businesses
A. later spread to other countries
B. had a negative effect on their business
C. is not as bad now as it used to be in the past
D. made non-English-speaking companies turn to other markets