1997年考研英语阅读第二篇—本文介绍美国人友善好客这一文化现象
原文：
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 and 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.
试题：
51. 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 neighbors
[D] most Americans are ready to offer help
52. 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
53. 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
54. 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
全文翻译
去过美国的人回来总是说大多数美国人对他们是多么友善、好客、乐于助人。公正地说，人们对加拿人也经常作出有这样的评论，因而，这应当被认为是北美的普遍现象。当然也有例外。在美国，心胸狭隘的官员，举止粗鲁的招待和毫无礼貌的出租车司机也并非罕见。尽管有不如人意的地方，但因为热情好客是人们常常作出的评论，所以值得讨论一番。过去很长一段时间，在美国很多地方，旅行者的到来总是颇受观迎，因为他们打破了当地居民沉闷单调的生活。无聊、孤独是一般相互之间距离很远的家庭普遍存在的问题。陌生人和旅行者不仅转折了人们的注意力，他们还带来了外面世界的消息。
拓荒地区的严酷生活现实也促成了这一好客的传统的形成。单独旅行时，如果挨饿、受伤或生病，通常只能向最近的小屋或村落求助。对旅行者来说，这不是一个选择的问题；而对当地居民来说也，这也并非是行善的一时冲动。它反映了日常生活的严酷现实：如果你不收留陌生人，那他便无处求助了。请记住，有一天你也可能处于相同的境遇。
如今，有了很多的慈善组织专门帮助疲惫的旅行者。不过，热情接待陌生人的传统在美国仍然很盛行，尤其是在远离旅游热线的小城镇。“我只是路过，和这个美国人聊了聊。很快，他就请我到他家吃饭——这真令人惊奇。”去过美国的旅客的这种谈论很普遍，但并非都能被正确理解。很多美国人不经意表现的友好不应被看作是表面或虚假的应酬，而应该看成是文化传统的历史发展结果。
同任何发达国家一样，一系列复杂的文化符号、设想和习俗构成了美国所有社会关系的基础。当然，会讲一种语言并不意味着就理解其社会和其文化模式。不能正确“诠释”文化含义的旅行者往往得出错误的结论。例如，美国人所说的“朋友”一词，其文化含义可能与旅行者语言和文化中的“朋友”大相径庭。要想正确区分礼貌是出于文化习俗还是个人兴趣，单凭一次公共汽车上的邂逅是远远不够的。不过，友好是很多美国人推崇的美德，也是希望从邻居和陌生人那得到的。
答案： D A C B
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