After I made it to the city center, I started to feel it might be easy for a foreigner to deal with the great size of Beijing. With growing confidence, I decided to take the subway to the hotel, not realizing that the network didn’t go that far. Impressed with the cleanliness of the station, I bought a ticket and boarded the first train that came along.
After a few minutes I asked in English of course a young man seated next to me where I should get off closest to the Friendship Hotel. Wearing a smart business suit and tie, he would surely speak English, wouldn’t he? Unfortunately, he couldn’t undersold me but seemed very friendly. I showed him the room card with all the information of the Friendship Hotel in Chinese characters (汉字). He looked at it, and then his eyes moved quickly to the carriage (车厢) subway map. Next, he raised three fingers of his right hand.
In Australia, raising fingers at someone is not usually nice, but this man wasn’t smiling. At the next station he showed me two fingers. Now in Australia, that’s really rude, but I got the message. When we stopped at the third station, he didn’t just point to the door, but got up, took me out of the train, and led me to the top of the stairs, and out onto the street. Then he stopped a taxi and told the driver where to take me.
All this came from a man who couldn’t speak my language, and I couldn’t speak his. I was now speechless, especially when he refused my offer of money. I felt a little embarrassed having even thought he would accept a tip.
This experience made it clear I had to learn some Chinese quickly or my adventures might start turning into bad luck.
【小题1】The author decided to take the subway because ________.A.he believed in his ability to deal with the trip | B.the network covered most of the stops |
C.he lived near the city center | D.he had a good impression of its cleanliness |
A.still remained puzzled | B.understood the author well |
C.answered the author directly | D.pointed at the subway map |
A.prove the importance of being careful | B.appreciate the kindness of the young man |
C.complain some cultural misunderstanding | D.describe one of his adventurous experiences |
I was in a strange city I didn’t know at all, and what’s more, I could not speak a word of the language. On my second day I got on the first bus that passed, rode on it for several stops, then got off and walked on. The first two hours passed pleasantly enough, then I decided to turn back to my hotel for lunch. After walking about for some time, I decided I had better ask the way. The trouble was that the only word I knew of the language was the name of the street in which I lived, and even that I pronounced badly. I stopped to ask a newspaper-seller. He handed me a paper. I shook my head and repeated the name of the street and he put the paper into my hands. I had to give him some money and went on my way. The next person, I asked was a policeman. He listened to me carefully, nodded and gently took me by the arm. There was a strange look in his eyes as he pointed left and right and left again. I nodded politely and began walking in the direction he pointed.
About an hour passed and I noticed that the houses were getting fewer and fewer and green fields were appearing on either side of me. I had come all the way into the countryside. The only thing left for me to do was to find the nearest railway station.
【小题1】Why did the writer prefer to walk back to his hotel?A.Because he had no money to buy a ticket. |
B.Because he wanted to lose himself in the city. |
C.Because he tried to know the city in this way. |
D.Because it was late and there were no buses passing by. |
A.didn’t know where the hotel was | B.didn’t understand what the writer said |
C.could understand what the writer said | D.didn’t want to take the money from the writer |
A.was kind but didn’t understand the writer | B.told the writer where to take a train |
C.knew what the writer really meant | D.was cold-hearted and didn’t help the writer |
A.He didn’t know the city at all. | B.He couldn’t speak the language. |
C.He went too far in the wrong bus. | D.He followed the policeman’s direction. |
Foreign tourists are often confused (困惑) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names in Japan, people use landmarks (地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, "Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop."
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, "Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile."
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. "How far away is the post office?" you ask. "Oh," they answer, "it’s about five minutes from here." You say, "Yes, but how many miles away is it?" They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, ’Sorry, I have no idea." But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers "I don’t know." People in Yucatan believe that "I don’t know" is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
【小题1】When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place they usually _________
A.describe the place carefully | B.show him a map of the place |
C.tell him the names of the streets | D.refer to recognizable buildings and places |
A.New York. | B.Los Angeles. | C.Kansas. | D.Iowa |
A.in order to save time | B.as a test | C.so as to be polite | D.for fun |
A.There is no street names in Japan. |
B.There is no landmarks in the countryside of American. |
C.People in Yucatan always give wrong answers when asked the way. |
D.People in Los Angeles measure distance in time, not miles when asked the way. |
A.It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences. |
B.It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly. |
C.People have similar understandings of politeness. |
D.New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors. |
Traveling without a map in different countries. I find out about different ways of giving directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often puzzled in Japan because most streets there don’t have name signs. In Japan, people use landmarks (标志性建筑) to give directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the comer. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
People in Los Angeles, the US, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance by time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “It’s about five minutes from here.” You don’t understand completely. “Yes, but how many miles away is it, please?” To this question you won’t get an answer, because most probably they don’t know it themselves.
People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because tourists seldom understand the Greek language. Instead, a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.
Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question. What happens in the situation? A New Yorker might say. “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People there believe that “I don’t” is impolite. They usually give an answer, but often a wrong one. So a tourist can get lost very easily in Yucatan! However, one thing will help you reach your destination everywhere in the world. It’s body language.
【小题1】Which of the following is probably an example of Japanese directions?A.“The post office is at Street Kamira.” |
B.“Turn right at the hospital and go past a school.” |
C.“The post office is about five minutes from here.” |
D.“Go south two miles. Turn west and then go another mile.” |
A.They prefer to lead you the way. |
B.They prefer to use body language. |
C.They use landmarks to give directions instead of distance. |
D.They often have no idea of distance measured by miles. |
A.Using street names. | B.Leading the way. |
C.Using landmarks. | D.Giving people a wrong direction. |
A.people in Mexico know street names well |
B.body language makes you get lost in Yucatan |
C.people in Mexico prefer to use body language |
D.people in Yucatan sometimes give wrong directions |
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