2．A report brought back by most visitors to the US is how friendly，polite，and helpful most Americans were to them．To be fair，this observation is also frequently made of Canada and Canadians，and should best be considered North American．There are，of course，exceptions．Small-minded officials，rude waiters，and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US．Yet American's friendliness and helpfulness is an observation made so frequently that it deserves comment．
For a long period of time and in many parts of the country，a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence．Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another．Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of distraction，and brought news of the outside world．
The tough realities of the border also shaped this tradition of hospitality．Someone traveling alone，if hungry，injured，or ill，often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest settler agent．It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or only a charitable impulse （沖動(dòng)） on the part of the settlers．It reflected the hardship of daily life：if you didn't take in the stranger and take care of him，there was no one else who would．And someday，remember，you might be in the same situation．
Today there are many charitable organizations which specialize in helping the exhausted traveler．Yet，the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US，especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist routes．"I was just traveling through，got talking with this American，and pretty soon he invite d me home for dinner，amazing．"Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon，but are not always understood properly．The casual friendliness of many Americans should be understood neither as superficial（表面的）nor as artificial（虛偽的），but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition．
As is true of any developed society，in America a complex set of cultural signals and customs is the basis of all social inter-relationships．And，of course，speaking a language does not necessarily mean that someone understands social and cultural patterns．Visitors who fail to"translate"cultural meanings properly often draw wrong conclusions．For example when an American uses the word"friend"，the cultural meanings of the word may be quite different from those it has in the visitor's language and culture．It takes more than a brief encounter on a bus to tell polite customs from individual interest．Yet，being friendly is a virtue （美德） that many Americans value highly and expect from both neighbors and strangers．
29．In the eyes of visitors from the outside world，D．
A．rude taxi drivers are hardly seen in the US
B．small-minded officials deserve a serious comment
C．Canadians are not so friendly as their neighbors
D．most Americans are ready to offer help
30．We can know from the last paragraph thatA．
A．culture has an influence over social inter-relationship
B．polite customs and individual interest are inter-related
C．various virtues shows themselves only among friends
D．social inter-relationships equal the complex set of cultural customs
31．Families who lived far from one another used to entertain strangersC．
A．to improve their hard life
B．in view of their long-distance travel
C．to add some taste to their own daily life
D．out of a charitable impulse
32．The tradition of hospitality to strangersB．
A．tends to be superficial and artificial
B．is generally well kept up in the United States
C．is always understood properly
D．has something to do with the busy tourist route．
分析 本文介紹了訪問過美國(guó)的游客都會(huì)覺得美國(guó)人民熱情、助人為樂，作者分析了美國(guó)能保留熱情好客傳統(tǒng)的原因．
解答 29．D．細(xì)節(jié)理解題：根據(jù)第一段第一句"A report brought back by most visitors to the US is how friendly，polite，and helpful most Americans were to them．"到美國(guó)去的旅游者對(duì)大多數(shù)美國(guó)人的印象是友好、禮貌和樂于助人．故選D．
30．A．推理判斷題：根據(jù)最后一段第一句"As is true of any developed society，in America a complex set of cultural signals and customs is the basis of all social inter-relationships．"同任何發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家一樣，美國(guó)有一套建立在所有社會(huì)相互關(guān)系基礎(chǔ)上的復(fù)雜的文化信號(hào)，假設(shè)，和習(xí)俗．由此可知文化對(duì)社會(huì)相互關(guān)系產(chǎn)生影響．故選A
31．C．推理判斷題：根據(jù)文章第二段內(nèi)容For a long period of time and in many parts of the country，a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence可知相距很遠(yuǎn)的居住條件使人們的生活無聊、孤獨(dú)，旅行者的到來會(huì)給他們帶來外界的消息，也是一種娛樂消遣．故選C．
32．B．細(xì)節(jié)理解題：根據(jù)第四段中"Yet，the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US，especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist routes．"然而，對(duì)陌生人熱情好客的老傳統(tǒng)在美國(guó)仍然很強(qiáng)，尤其是在小城市和城鎮(zhèn)遠(yuǎn)離旅游熱線．故選B．
點(diǎn)評(píng) 考察學(xué)生的細(xì)節(jié)理解和推理判斷能力，做細(xì)節(jié)理解題時(shí)一定要找到文章中的原句，和題干進(jìn)行比較，再做出正確的選擇．在做推理判斷題不要以個(gè)人的主觀想象代替文章的事實(shí)，要根據(jù)文章事實(shí)進(jìn)行合乎邏輯的推理判斷．
