单选题 "How far is it to the next village?" the American asks a man sitting by the side of the road. In some countries, because the man realizes that the traveler is tired and eager to get to his destination, he will politely say "Just down the road." He thinks this is more encouraging, gentler, and therefore the wanted answer. So the American drives through the night, getting more and more angry, feeling "tricked". He thinks the man deliberately cheated him, for obviously he must have known the distance quite well.
Had conditions been reversed, the American would have felt he was "cheating" the driver if he had said the next town was close when he knew it was really 15 miles further on. Though, he, too, would be sympathetic to the weary driver, he would say "You have a good way to go yet: it is at least 15 miles." The driver might be disappointed, but he would know what to expect.
Whether to be accurate or polite leads to many misunderstandings between people of different cultures. If you are aware of the situation in advance, it is sometimes easier to recognize the problem.

单选题 The man at the roadside tells the American it is close to the next village because ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】细节题。答案信息对应于第一段第四句:He thinks this is more encouraging...,其中的this指代的就是上文中他那样说的过程,所以本题选[D]。
单选题 We learn from this passage that Americans ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】推理判断题。在第三段第二句中作者指出,美国人尽管也会同情(would be sympathetic),但他会把实际距离告诉问路的人。由此可以推知美国人诚实。结合这两个方面可知应选[C]。
单选题 If you ask an American how far it is from the next village, he will ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】推理判断题。参见上题分析。