Question

Most Americans would have a difficult time telling you, specifically, what are the values which Americans live by. They have never given the matter any thought.

Over the years I have introduced thousands of international visitors to life in the United States. This has caused me to try to look at Americans through the eyes of foreign visitors. I am confident that the values listed in this booklet describe most ( but not all) Americans, and that understanding these values can help you, the international visitor, understand Americans.

It is my belief that if foreign visitors really understand how deeply these 13 values are ingrained in Americans, they will then be able to understand 95% of American actions-actions which might otherwise appear "strange", "confusing", or "unbelievable" when evaluated from the perspective of the foreigner's own society and its values.

The different behaviors of a people or a culture make sense only when seen through the basic beliefs, assumptions and values of that particular group. When you encounter ( meet) an action, or hear a statement in the United States which surprises you, try to see it as an expression of one or more of the values listed in this booklet.

1.An ordinary American can't tell you his/her value system because _____.

A. this is something an American lives by

B. everyone will have his/her own value system

C. he/she has never thought about it

D. values are something often in their thought

2.The author lists 13 values in his booklet to _____.

A. invite foreigners to visit America

B. look at Americans through the eyes of foreign visitors

C. describe the confusing actions of most Americans

D. help international visitors understand Americans

3.The underlined word "ingrained" in Line 2, Paragraph 3 most probably means _____.

A. rooted in the minds   B. found in the grains

C. planted for food       D. prepared with grain

4.Visitors sometimes find Americans behave in a strange, confusing or unbelievable way, probably because _____.

A. Americans are hard to understand

B. Americans have values which are entirely different from their own

C. they view Americans according to the values in their own society

D. it is difficult to understand any people when you first encounter them

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.A

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文是一本书的序言。作者观察到，很多外国游客对美国人的行为举止觉得很奇怪，而这是因为他们不了解美国人的价值观。于是作者写了一本小册子介绍这些价值观。了解了这些东西，人们就不会觉得美国人的行为“怪异、不可思议”了。作者总结了13种美国人的价值观，如果理解了这些就能够更好的理解美国人，而之所以会感到困惑是因为很多外国人只是用自己的价值观来看待美国人。

1. have never given the matter any thought.可知一个普通的美国人不能告诉你他的价值观，因为他们根本都没有考虑过这个问题。故选C。

2. am confident that the values listed in this booklet describe most （but not all ）Americans, and that understanding these values can help you, the international visitor, understand Americans.可知作者是为了能够帮助不同国家的旅行者们更加了解美国人。故选D。

3. is my belief that if foreign visitors really understand how deeply these 13 values are ingrained in Americans, they will then be able to understand 95% of American actions 可知，这13种价值观是在美国人中非常普遍的，了解了这些，也就能理解95%的美国人行为，故这里应该是根深蒂固的。故选A。

4.

考点：考查议论文阅读。