A report brought back by most visitors to the US is how friendly, polite, and helpful most

A report brought back by most visitors to the US is how friendly, polite, 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 American’s friendliness and helpfulness 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 distraction, and brought news of the outside world．
The tough realities of the border also shaped this tradition of hospitality. Someone traveling alone, if hungry, injured, or ill, often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest settler agent. It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or only a charitable impulse (冲动） on the part of the settlers. It reflected the hardship 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 exhausted 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 routes. 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 understood neither as superficial（表面的）nor as artificial（虚伪的）, 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 and customs is the basis of all social inter-relationships. 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 meanings 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 tell polite customs from individual interest. Yet, being friendly is a virtue （美德） that many Americans value highly and expect from both neighbors and strangers.
【小题1】In the eyes of visitors from the outside world, ．A．rude taxi drivers are hardly seen in the USB．small-minded officials deserve a serious commentC．Canadians are not so friendly as their neighborsD．most Americans are ready to offer help【小题2】We can know from the last paragraph that ．A．culture has an influence over social inter-relationshipB．polite customs and individual interest are inter-relatedC．various virtues shows themselves only among friendsD．social inter-relationships equal the complex set of cultural customs【小题3】Families who lived far from one another used to entertain strangers ．A．to improve their hard lifeB．in view of their long-distance travelC．to add some taste to their own daily lifeD．out of a charitable impulse【小题4】The tradition of hospitality to strangers ．A．tends to be superficial and artificialB．is generally well kept up in the United StatesC．is always understood properlyD．has something to do with the busy tourist routeD

(答案→)D 解析：本文介绍了访问过美国的游客都会觉得美国人民热情、助人为乐，作者分析了美国能保留热情好客传统的原因。【小题1】细节题：根据第一段第一句“A report brought back by most visitors to the US is how friendly, polite, and helpful most Americans were to them.”到美国去的旅游者对大多数美国人的印象是友好、礼貌和乐于助人。故选D。【小题2】推理题：根据最后一段第一句“As is true of any developed society, in America a complex set of cultural signals and customs is the basis of all social inter-relationships.”同任何发达国家一样，美国有一套建立在所有社会相互关系基础上的复杂的文化信号，假设，和习俗。由此可知文化对社会相互关系产生影响。故选A【小题3】推理题：根据文章第二段内容可知相距很远的居住条件使人们的生活无聊、孤独，旅行者的到来会给他们带来外界的消息，也是一种娱乐消遣。故选C。【小题4】细节题：根据第四段中“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 routes.”然而，对陌生人热情好客的老传统在美国仍然很强，尤其是在小城市和城镇远离旅游热线。故选B。

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