首页
登录
职称英语
Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language is
Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language is
游客
2023-12-23
46
管理
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 form others. Latins and Middle Easterners like to come closer and touch, which makes Americans uncomfortable.
Our linguistic 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 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 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. The attitudes and information we pickup 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, America and Americans could get by with cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance. After all, America was the most powerful country of the free world, the distributor of needed funds and goods.
But all that is past. 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 next century, even though it may not always be the upper hand. [br] The author gives many examples m criticize Americans for their ______.
选项
A、cultural self-centeredness
B、casual manners
C、indifference toward foreign visitors
D、arrogance towards other cultures
答案
A
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3299104.html
相关试题推荐
Ihearthatheknowsfourlanguages,suchasChinese,French,GermanandJapanes
Heappendedaglossarytohisnovelwhereheusedaninventedlanguage.A、addedB
Computerscanbeusedtomakelanguagelearningeasier.A、facilitateB、accelerate
Americans,increasinglyconsumedbyfearswhatChinaposesacommercialandmili
Theseobservationsonhumanlanguagelearning,coupledwithevolutionaryspecula
Whatweneedisa"CultureofTolerance",awaytoreconciletheneedforid
WhyhavetheAmericansdevelopedspaceshuttleaccordingtothepassage?[br][
WhyhavetheAmericansdevelopedspaceshuttleaccordingtothepassage?[br][
WhyhavetheAmericansdevelopedspaceshuttleaccordingtothepassage?[br][
WhyhavetheAmericansdevelopedspaceshuttleaccordingtothepassage?[origin
随机试题
[originaltext]Wewouldliketothinkthattheselfieisaninventionofthe
在第二次世界大战期间,德国纳粹和日本军国主义者强行用战俘、妇女、儿童和犹太人做医
教师职业的劳动特点。
肝素静脉给药的原因是A.口服首过效应消除明显B.大分子并带大量负电荷C.胃中易被
以下不属于教师的权利的是( )。A.进行教育教学活动,开展教育教学改革和实验
(2020年真题)某社区居民委员会为了推进居民自治,根据居民居住状况分设了20个
(2019年真题)商业银行证券投资的系统风险包括()。A.信用风险 B.
项目后评价,根据不同的评价范围和评价重点,可以分为()。A.项目影响评价 B
电力系统承受大扰动。 在同级电压的双回线或多回线和环两中,下列大扰动属于第二
慢性肺心病X线所见以下各项错误的是A.肺气肿征象 B.右肺下动脉横径<15mm
最新回复
(
0
)