首页
登录
职称英语
Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language i
Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language i
游客
2024-08-18
15
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 from 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 tour. 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 pick up 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, American 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 land. [br] The author’s intention in writing the 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/3725280.html
相关试题推荐
OurculturehascausedmostAmericanstoassumenotonlythatourlanguagei
Alanguageisasystemofsounds,gestures,orcharactersusedbyhumansto
Alanguageisasystemofsounds,gestures,orcharactersusedbyhumansto
Alanguageisasystemofsounds,gestures,orcharactersusedbyhumansto
Mostsorethroatsarecausedbyaninfectionwhichtreatmentwithantibiotic
Insomespeechcommunities,twolanguagesareusedsidebysidewitheachhaving
Itiswellknownthatsomeculturesprefersonstodaughters.Incontrast,s
Itiswellknownthatsomeculturesprefersonstodaughters.Incontrast,s
Itiswellknownthatsomeculturesprefersonstodaughters.Incontrast,s
Itiswellknownthatsomeculturesprefersonstodaughters.Incontrast,s
随机试题
[audioFiles]audio_eufm_j01_113(200910)[/audioFiles]A、Tobeanarchitect.B、Tog
下列属于工程量计算应具备条件的是()。A.了解招标流程 B.熟悉设计图纸
某企业于2016年1月1日从银行取得一笔专门借款1000万元用于固定资产建造,年
政府支出是社会总需求的组成部分,政府增加购买性支出会导致( )。[2008年初
属于假药的是A:擅自添加矫味剂的 B:未标明生产批号的 C:药品成分的含量不
评估某加油站的抵押价值,估价对象的财产范围包括()。A.加油站的特色装修 B
在敌后战场为国捐躯的八路军、新四军高级将领有 A.左权B.张自忠 C.赵尚
男性,68岁。5个月来渐进性乏力,食欲下降,1个月来嗜睡,活动后感心悸、气短,下
根据迈克尔·波特教授提出的“五力模型”,在行业中普遍存在着五种竞争力量,分别是行
促进胰岛素分泌的药物是( )。A.罗格列酮 B.吡格列酮 C.阿卡波糖
最新回复
(
0
)