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Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language is universal but that the gestures we use are understood by everyone. We do not realize that waving good-bye is the way to summon a person from the Philippines to one’s side, or that in Italy and some Latin American 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 German. Moreover, we like to think of ourselves as friendly, yet we prefer to be at least 3 feet or an arm’s length away from others. Latins and Middle Easterners like to come closer and touch, which makes Americans uncomfortable.

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

Even here in the US, we make few concessions to the needs of foreign visitors. There are no information signs in four languages on our public buildings or monuments; we do not have multilingual guided tours. Very few restaurant menus have translations, and multilingual waiters, bank clerks and policemen are rare. Our transportation systems have maps in English only and often we ourselves have difficulty understanding them.

When we go abroad, we need to cluster in hotels and restaurants where English is spoken. The attitudes and information we pick up are conditioned by those natives—usually the richer—who speak English. Our business dealings, as well as the nation’s diplomacy, are conducted through interpreters.

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

But all that is past. American dollars no longer buy all good things, and we are slowly beginning to realize that our proper role in the world is changing.

单选题 It can be inferred that Americans being approached too closely by Middle Easterners would most probably_____.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】根据第二段最后一句“Latins and Middle Easterners like to come closer and touch, which makes Americans uncomfortable.”可知中东人喜欢与别人接触来显示亲近， 而美国人喜欢与别人保持距离。 所以当一个中东人与美国人离得太近时， 美国人会感到不舒服， 并且会退回几步。 draw back使保持距离。 stand still站着不动。jump aside跳到一边。 step forward向前进。 因此选D。
单选题 The author gives many examples to criticize Americans for their _____.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】文中第三段和倒数第二段都提到了美国人对外国文化的无视， 并以多个例子来论证， 因此可将答案缩小到A、 D两项。 又根据倒数第二段“After all, America was the most powerful country of the free world…”以自嘲的口吻说美国是世界上的超级强国， 暗示美国人民在文化上也把自己当作世界中心。 因此选A。
单选题 In countries other than their own most Americans _____.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】根据倒数第三段， 美国人出国时喜欢聚集在说英语的地方， 根据“The attitudes and information we pick up are conditioned by those natives—usually the richer—who speak English.”可知美国人由于语言障碍不能很好地获得信息。
单选题 According to the author, Americans’ cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance will _____.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】根据最后两段， 美国在世界上“超级大国”的角色正在发生变化， 尽管美国民众不易察觉， 而导致这种变化的， 文中除了美国人的文化盲目性和语言无知没有提到别的因素。
单选题 Which of the statements below indicates the author’s intention in writing this article?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】本文围绕美国人对外国文化的盲目和对外语的无知展开论述， 提到了这样下去可能会导致的严重后果。 因此作者是想呼吁大家及时注意到这种不好的趋势， 并有意识地对外国文化更加包容。