I travel a lot, and I find out different styles (风格) of directions every time 1 ask How can I get to the post office?
Foreign tourists are often confused (困惑) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names in Japan, people use landmarks (地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. How far away is the post office? you ask. Oh, they answer, it’s about five minutes from here. You say, Yes, but how many miles away is it? They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, ’Sorry, I have no idea. But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers I don’t know. People in Yucatan believe that I don’t know is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
【小题1】 When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place they usually A．describe the place carefullyB．show him a map of the placeC．tell him the names of the streetsD．refer to recognizable buildings and places【小题2】What is the place where people measure distance in time?A．New York.B．Los Angeles.C．Kansas.D．Iowa【小题3】People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer A．in order to save timeB．as a testC．so as to be politeD．for fun【小题4】 Which sentence is true according to the text?A．There is no street names in Japan.B．There is no landmarks in the countryside of American.C．People in Yucatan always give wrong answers when asked the way.D．People in Los Angeles measure distance in time, not miles when asked the way.【小题5】 What can we infer from the text?A．It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences.B．It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.C．People have similar understandings of politeness.D．New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.D
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(答案→)D
解析：作者围绕回答问路的风格，介绍了不同国度的不同文化。
【小题1】D细节理解题。由第二段中，In Japan, people use land marks in their directions instead of street names. 可知。
【小题1】B细节理解题。由倒数第二段第一句话People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles.可知。
【小题1】C细节理解题。由最后一段，最后两句话People in Yucatan believe that I don’t know is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one.可知。
【小题1】D解析同第三题，也是由倒数第二段第一句话得出答案。
【小题1】A推理判断题。即是文章的主旨中心。