Question

It's really true what people say about English politeness: it's everywhere. When squeezing past someone in a narrow passage, people say "sorry". When getting off a bus, English passengers say "thank you" rather than the driver. In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things. After all, squeezing past others is sometimes unavoidable, and the bus driver is only doing his job. I used to think the same way, without questioning it, until I started traveling to the British Isles, and here are some more polite ways of interacting (交往) with people in UK.

People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time. When people buy something in a shop, customers and retail assistants in most cases thank each other twice or more. In Germany, it would be exceptional（例外的）to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation. British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room. English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs, as opposite to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough.

Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize others. Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me, my employers emphasized several times but none of their explanations were intended as criticism. It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable. This also is showed in other ways. British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men. However, I do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men! Yes, the latter are a bit tightfisted.

1.What is the author's attitude towards English politeness?

A. He thinks it is artificial.

B. He appreciates it very much.

C. He thinks little of it.

D. He thinks it goes too far.

2.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. The author think it's unnecessary to say “thank you” to the bus driver.

B. In Germany, employers often say “thank you” to employees for their job.

C. Germans think it is unnecessary to thank workers because payment is enough.

D. German men never treat a woman to dinner.

3.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A. English people try to avoid criticizing others in the daily life.

B. In Germany, passengers sometimes say “thank you” to bus drivers.

C. English drivers often say “thank you” to passengers when they get off the bus.

D. Germans are more considerate and polite than Englishmen.

4.The author develops the text through the method of         .

A. giving comments

B. telling stories

C. making comparisons

D. giving reasons/examples

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.A

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：文章主要对比了英国人和德国人在礼仪方面存在的差异。英国人几乎随时随地都在向他人表示歉意或谢意，而德国人却很少做这样的事情。

1.题1】观点态度题。根据第一段“It's really true what people say about English politeness: it's everywhere...and here are some more polite ways of interacting (交往) with people in UK.”可知，作者主要对比了英国人和德国人在礼仪方面的差异，英国人很有礼貌，而德国人很少向他人表达谢意和歉意，文章没有说英式礼仪是虚伪的，没有贬低英式礼仪，也没有认为英式礼仪有点过犹不及，故选B。

2.题2】推理判断题。根据第二段“as opposite to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough”可知，与英国老板向员工表示感谢相反，德国人通常认为付给员工工资已经足够了，没有必要向员工表示感谢，故选C。

3.题3】推理判断题。根据第三段“English people rarely criticize others...by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable”可知，英国人很少批评他人，他们总是尽量避免批评，以使他人感到舒服自在，故选A。

4.题4】写作手法题。根据第一段“about English politeness: it's everywhere...In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things.”和第二段“People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time...In Germany, it would be exceptional（例外的）to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation.”可知，文章是使用对比手法来写的，故选C。

考点：社会类短文阅读