阅读理解 The relative importance that a culture places on the past, present and future can have an effect on the philosophies that companies have about doing business. Most companies plan carefully for the future by researching their target markets and developing timelines for designing, manufacturing, and delivering goods or services. In this sense, strategies, goals, and objectives are all full future oriented. However, past experiences and present realities affect the choices that companies make. The interaction among past, present and future varies from country to country.

The United States is an example of a future-oriented culture. In business, there is typically a lot of emphasis on the future, and companies are continually striving to ensure that the future will be better than the present. Most business people in the U.S. are generally optimistic about what the future holds, and most of what their daily actions are geared toward achieving ongoing positive changes.

Past-oriented cultures include China, Japan, Great Britain, France, Africa and the Middle East. Past events hold a lot of importance in these cultures, and history, protocol, and traditions often help guide business people in making decisions. In these countries， longevity is viewed as a positive, and old things are valued. The sense of tradition is evident in the fact that there is a lot of emphasis on loyalty and commitment in the workplace.

Some present-oriented cultures include the Philippines and Latin America. These cultures believe that the present moment holds the most significance, partly because the future is unknown. Generally speaking, business people in these cultures have a more relaxed style. They don’t work specially to achieve future goals or rewards, but they typically feel an ongoing obligation to their companies. However, if they are no longer enjoying their work, they are more likely to leave the company and look for another job.

单选题 Which of the following is NOT TRUE in the United States?

单选题 Which fact can demonstrate the importance of the past in business?

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】本题的选项集中在第三段。首先，根据最后一句“The sense of tradition is evident in the fact that there is a lot of emphasis on loyalty and commitment in the workplace.”可知公司强调职员的忠诚和承诺，但并不能得知具备这两点（或两点之一）的员工会有什么特权，因此A、 C可排除。其次根据倒数第二段“…longevity is viewed as a positive, and old things are valued.”可知旧的东西是有用处的， B项过于绝对， D项较为合理，老的员工更有价值。

单选题 What people will most possibly change their jobs if they lose interest in them?

单选题 It can be inferred from the passage that _____

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】A可在原文中找到。根据原文，已过去为导向的公司更注重老职员。可以推测在那些以未来为导向的公司中，这些大龄雇员肯定会被解雇，因此选B。 C项提到已过去为导向的企业家对未来悲观，诚然他们不是以未来为导向的，但对未来的态度也不至于悲观。 D项可在原文最后一段找到。