Tobefair,thisobservationisalsofrequentlymadeofCanadaandCanadians

分类: 英语言文学 (军队文职) 发布时间: 2023-11-03 10:29 浏览量: 1

Tobefair,thisobservationisalsofrequentlymadeofCanadaandCanadians,andshouldbestbeconsideredNorthAmerican.Thereare,ofcourse,exceptions.Small-mindedofficials,rudewaiters,andill-manneredtaxidriversarehardlyunknownintheUS.Yetitisanobservationmadesofrequentlythatitdeservescomment.Foralongperiodoftimeandinmanypartsofthecountry,atravelerwasawelcomebreakinanotherwisedullexistence.Dullnessandlonelinesswerecommonproblemsofthefamilieswhogenerallyliveddistantfromoneanother.Strangersandtravelerswerewelcomesourcesofdiversion,andbroughtnewsoftheoutsideworld.Theharshrealitiesofthefrontieralsoshapedthistraditionofhospitality.Someonetravelingalone,ifhungry,injured,orill,oftenhadnowheretoturnexcepttothenearestcabinorsettlement.Itwasnotamatterofchoiceforthetravelerormerelyacharitableimpulseonthepartofthesettlers.Itreflectedtheharshnessofdailylife:ifyoudidn’ttakeinthestrangerandtakecareofhim,therewasnooneelsewhowould.Andsomeday,remember,youmightbeinthesamesituation.Todaytherearemanycharitableorganizationswhichspecializeinhelpingthewearytraveler.Yet,theoldtraditionofhospitalitytostrangersisstillverystrongintheUS,especiallyinthesmallercitiesandtownsawayfromthebusytouristtrails.“Iwasjusttravelingthrough,gottalkingwiththisAmerican,andprettysoonheinvitedmehomefordinner—amazing.”SuchobservationsreportedbyvisitorstotheUSarenotuncommon,butarenotalwaysunderstoodproperly.ThecasualfriendlinessofmanyAmericansshouldbeinterpretedneitherassuperficialnorasartificial,butastheresultofahistoricallydevelopedculturaltradition.Asistrueofanydevelopedsociety,inAmericaacomplexsetofculturalsignals,assumptions,andconventionsunderliesallsocialinterrelationships.And,ofcourse,speakingalanguagedoesnotnecessarilymeanthatsomeoneunderstands,socialandculturalpatterns.Visitorswhofailto“translate”culturalmeaningsproperlyoftendrawwrongconclusions.Forexample,whenanAmericanusestheword“friend”,theculturalimplicationsofthewordmaybequitedifferentfromthoseithasinthevisitor’slanguageandculture.Ittakesmorethanabriefencounteronabustodistinguishbetweencourteousconventionandindividualinterest.Yet,beingfriendlyisavirtuethatmanyAmericansvaluehighlyandexpectfrombothneighborsandstrangers. Itcouldbeinferredfromthelastparagraphthat_____.

A.culture exercises an influence over social interrelationship

B.courteous convention and individual interest are interrelated

C.various virtues manifest themselves exclusively among friends

D.social interrelationships equal the complex set of cultural conventions

正确答案是A