单选题 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 or 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 Americans value highly and expect from both neighbors and strangers.

单选题 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 neighbours
D. most Americans are ready to offer help

单选题 It could be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.

A. culture exercises an influence over social interrelationship
B. courteous convention and individual interest are interrelated
C. various virtues manifest themselves exclusively among friends
D. social interrelationships equal the complex set of cultural conventions

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】本题考查推测题。本文的最后一段的第一句是全段的主题，由本段的第二句即“像其他发达国家一样，在美国，人际关系的背后是一系列复杂的文化符号、信念和习俗”可以综合推出A项“文化影响社会关系”正确。B项“礼貌与个人兴趣互相影响”，最后一段倒数第二句说“仅靠在公共汽车上瞬时相遇来区别礼貌是出自于文化习惯还是个人的兴趣是不够的”，所以不正确；C项“各种美德仅表现在朋友关系中”最后一段未提及；D项的“社会关系等于一系列复杂的文化习俗”，由该段第一句可知两者是决定和被决定关系而非等同关系，所以答案选择A项。

单选题 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

单选题 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. has something to do with the busy tourist trails

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】本题为细节理解题。本题是个开放题目，问的是“对陌生人热情的传统……”，由本文第四段的“虽然现在有许多专门的机构帮助旅行者，但是，友善好客的旧传统在美国仍根深蒂固，这突出表现在远离旅游热线的一些小城市中”可知本题选择B项，意为“在美国保留得很好”。本段最后一句指出“许多美国人随意表现出的友善不应该被看作是表面或虚假的应酬，而应该看作是一种历史文化现象”，所以A项错误；第四段的“许多外国人对美国人的一些友好感到不可思议”，反映了他们对美国历史文化传统的不理解，所以C项错误。