Question

Most people agree that the direct, assertive(过分自信的) American personality is a virtue, but it sometimes surprises foreigners. In many cultures, respect for older people or those in positions of authority keeps others from expressing their true feelings. But in the U.S, children often argue with their parents, students may disagree with their teachers, and citizens may express opposition to the actions of the government. If the soup has a fly in it or the  meat is too tough to chew, the diner can complain to the waiter, if the boss makes a mistake, an employee will politely point it out.

Some straight talk about the American character must include the admission that Americans have their faults. The extremely competitive nature of Americans is probably their worst fault. Of course, competition isn’t always bad. As a matter of fact, it promotes excellence by encouraging individuals and businesses to try to do their best. But the desire to get ahead of others sometimes causes people to do things that are unkind and even dishonest. Also, Americans admire what is practical, fast, efficient, and fresh. Sometimes they fail to understand and appreciate practices that have greater respect for more traditional, leisurely ways of doing things. On the other hand, people from other cultures may dislike the practical, challenging American lifestyle.

Despite culture differences, most foreigners give Americans credit for their virtues. Americans are generally viewed as friendly, adaptable, energetic, and kindhearted. Most newcomers to the U.S. like Americans, and the feeling is usually mutual. Perhaps the greatest American virtue is a deep interest in new ideas and new people. In a nation of immigrants, the foreigner does not remain an outsider for long.

In order to show the respect for older people,.      .

A.people from some other cultures will always express their true feeling

B.people from some other cultures may sometimes hide their true feeling

C.Americans always show their true feelings

D.Americans usually argue with them

Why is the extremely competitive nature considered as one of American faults?

A.Because people from other cultures fear competition.

B.Because only American people own it.

C.Because it will make people forget leisure.

D.Because it may sometimes urge people to do something bad.

It can be inferred from the passage that .        .

A.American people are more critical of everything than people from other cultures

B.the author believes that American character has more faults than virtues

C.the author admires American virtues as they are viewed as competitive and anti traditional

D.it is difficult for newcomers to get on with Americans

The passage mainly talks about .       .

A.American virtues  B.American characters  C.American faults   D.American lifestyles

Answer 1

【小题1】B

【小题2】D

【小题3】A

【小题4】B

解析:

【小题1】 文章首段第二句提到“In  many cultures respect for older people or those in postions of authority keeps others from expressing their true feelings”.由此可知：出于对长者尊敬，许多国家的人们往往不会表达自己的真实感受，故选项B正确.

【小题2】文章第二段第五句话指出“But the desire to get ahead of others sometimes causes people... unkind and even dishonest”,也就是说，极端的竞争性有时会使人误入歧途，由此可知D正确答案。

【小题3】 文章首段中几个例子论证了美国人直率的性格，从中我们不难推断出，美国人比其他外国人更善于批判，故A为正确答案。本文论述了美国人性格的三个方面，其中坦率和对新事物的兴趣是作者赞赏的，都被视为virtue,故排除B，第三段第二句话指出“Americans are generally viewed as friendly, adaptable, energetic, and kinkhearted”,由此可排除C；根据最后一段内容可推断出，美国人并不难相处，所以选项D也不对。

【小题4】 本文主要阐述了美国人的性格，作者在第二段第二句中提到“The extremely competitive nature... their worst fault”,以及第二段倒数第二句也提到“Sometimes they fail to understand and appreciate practices...”,由此可知文章并非全在说美国人的优点，故可排除A；文章虽在第二段两处提到美国人的缺点，但不是主要内容，故C也可排除；选项D显然不对.