Question

【题目】阅读理解
The way we do things round here
Some years ago, I was hired by an American bank. I received a letter from the head of the Personnel Department that started, “Dear John, I am quite pleased that you have decided to join us.” That “quite” saddened me. I thought he was saying “we're kind of pleased you decided to join us although I wish we had hired someone else.” Then I discovered that in American English “quite” sometimes means “very”, while in British English it means “fairly”.
So the first lesson about working in other countries is to learn the language and by that I don't just mean the words people speak. It is the body language, dress, manners, ideas and so on. The way people do things highlights many of the differences we see between cultures.
Some of these differences may be only on the surface—dress, food and hours of work—while others may be deeper and take longer to deal with. Mostly, it is just a question of getting used to the differences and accepting them, like the climate, while getting on with business.
Some of the differences may be an improvement. People are more polite; the service is better; you ask for something to be done and it happens without having to ask again. However, other differences can be troubling, like punctuality(准时). If you invite people to a party at 7 o'clock, your guests will consider it polite to turn up exactly on time in Germany, five minutes early in the American Midwest, an hour early in Japan, 15 minutes afterwards in the UK, up to an hour afterwards in Italy and some time in the evening in Greece. I prefer not to use the word “late” because there is nothing wrong with the times people arrive. It is simply the accepted thing to do in their own country.
（1）The author was unhappy as mentioned in Paragraph 1 because he thought_______.
A.the American bank might hire another person
B.the American bank didn't think much of him
C.it's difficult to get used to American culture
D.it's easy to misunderstand Americans
（2）According to the author, what should we do with most cultural differences?
A.Ask the native people for help.
B.Do things in your own way.
C.Understand and accept them.
D.Do in-depth research.
（3）When invited to a party the people who are usually punctual are_______.
A.Germans
B.Italians
C.Greeks
D.The British

Answer 1

【答案】
（1）B
（2）C
（3）A
【解析】本文是一篇说明文。人们做事的方式突出了现实里我们在文化之间看到的许多差异。文章通过对比英美文化的不同，介绍了我们做事方式的差异。主要讲述的是对待文化差异的态度。到外国工作，首先要了解当地的语言、服饰、礼仪等文化背景。所以针对各国的不同文化，我们应该抱以理解和接受的态度。
（1）细节理解。根据第一段That “quite” saddened me. I thought he was saying “we're kind of pleased you decided to join us although I wish we had hired someone else.”作者对于“quite”一词的理解偏差导致了作者心情不愉快。因为作者认为这家美国银行并没有器重他。所以答案是B。
（2）推理判断。根据第三段信息句Mostly，it is just a question of getting used to the differences and accepting them，like the climate，while getting on with business.可知适应文化差异就像在外出差适应当地的气候一样，学会适应和接受。所以对待文化的差异，我们应该理解并接受它们。即Understand and accept them正确，所以答案是C。
（3）细节理解。根据最后一段 “However, other differences can be troubling, like punctuality(准时). If you invite people to a party at 7 o'clock, your guests will consider it polite to turn up exactly on time in Germany,”可知，德国人是最守时的，所以答案是A。