2. 外语
  3. Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language is universal but that the gestures we use are underst

Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language is universal but that the gestures we use are underst

admin2012-08-22  57
问题     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 (语言上的) 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 United States, we make few concessions (让步) 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 (多语言的) 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 tend to cluster in hotels and restaurants where English is spoken. Then 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, American dollars no longer buy all good things, and we are slowly beginning to realize that our proper role in the world is changing. A 1979 Harris poll reported that 55 percent of Americans want this country to play a more significant role in world affairs; we want to have a hand in the important decisions of the 21st century, even though it may not always be the upper hand.
According to the author, Americans’ cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance will______.
选项 A、affect their image in the new era
B、cut themselves off from the outside world
C、limit their role in world affairs
D、weaken the position of the U. S. dollar
答案C
解析 细节题。文章第三段中提到，我们(美国人)在语言和文化上无知使我们正在世界失去朋友、生意及尊敬。根据最后一段，美国人开始意识到美国在世界事务中的作用正在变化。由此可知，他们的这种无知会限制其在国际事务中的作用。C为正确答案。
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