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
54
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’s intention in writing this article is to make Americans realize that ______.
选项
A、it is dangerous to ignore their foreign friends
B、it is important to maintain their leading role in world affairs
C、it is necessary to use several languages in public places
D、it is time to get acquainted with other cultures
答案
D
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3299107.html
相关试题推荐
Hisinabilitytolearnforeignlanguageswasa(n)obstacletohiscareer.A、barrie
Ithinkyoucantakea(n)______languagecoursetoimproveyourEnglish.A、interme
ThefactthatmostAmericansliveinurbanareasdoesnotmeanthattheyres
ThefactthatmostAmericansliveinurbanareasdoesnotmeanthattheyres
ThefactthatmostAmericansliveinurbanareasdoesnotmeanthattheyres
ThefactthatmostAmericansliveinurbanareasdoesnotmeanthattheyres
ThefactthatmostAmericansliveinurbanareasdoesnotmeanthattheyres
ThefactthatmostAmericansliveinurbanareasdoesnotmeanthattheyres
Humanbeingsaresuperiortoanimalsthattheycanuselanguageasatoolofcom
Everygrouphasaculture,howeveruncivilizeditmayseemtous.Tothepro
随机试题
Themusicarousedan______feelingofhomesicknessinthem.A、intensiveB、introsp
简答题:根据所给材料回答问题。 丛书“中小学生课外读本”中的《中小学生自我安全
系统集成商与建设方在一个ERP项目的谈判过程中,建设方提出如下要求:系统初验时间
(2016年真题)流动性风险管理的主要措施不包括()。A.制定流动性风险管
气调养护技术是A.利用γ射线或加速产生的p射线辐照药材而杀灭真菌和害虫B.利用环
控制细菌某些特定遗传性状的是A:核质B:胞质颗粒C:核蛋白体D:质粒E:
房室传导阻滞的发生原理是A.窦性心律失常 B.被动性异位心律失常 C.主动性
对患者进行手法复位、石膏外固定术后,以下护理措施不正确的是A:石膏干固前,用手掌
按()下达的分接头位置切换消弧线圈分接头。运维班班长$;$当值调度员$;$当值值
()有利于扶持和发展社会“短线”事业。A.财政直接投资 B.风险补偿金 C
最新回复
(
0
)