Question

I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”

Foreign tourists are often confused 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!

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

2.What is the place where people measure distance in time?

A. New York.    B. Los Angeles.   C. Kansas.  D. Iowa.

3.People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ________.

A. in order to save time             B. as a test

C. so as to be polite                D. for fun

4.What can we infer from the text?

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.

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.C

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文围绕回答问路的风格，介绍了不同国度的不同文化。

1.D 细节理解题。根据文章第二段第一句Foreign tourists are often confused in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks (地标) in their directions instead of street names. 很多外国游人在日本感到很迷惑因为很多街道没有名字，在日本，人们在方向上用坐标而不用街道名字。可知答案选D。

2.B细节理解题。根据文章第四段第一句People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles.在洛杉矶人们对地图上的距离没有概念，他们用时间而不用英里来估量距离。可知答案选B。

3.C细节理解题。从最后一段第四、五、六句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.可知在尤卡坦州当人们不知道地址的时候，为了表示礼貌，会给问路人一个错误的答案。故选C。

4.围绕回答问路的风格，介绍了不同国度的不同文化。可以从中推断出，对于旅行的人来说了解各国的文化差异是很重要的。故选A。

【名师点睛】

细节理解常考的是语义转换题，常用跳读查找法，这是做事实细节题最基本也是最常用的方法。在通常情况下，细节题主要考查考生对某句话或某几句话的理解，同学们若能根据题干内容从原文中找到相关的句子，然后进行比较和分析，便可确定最佳答案。运用跳读查找法时，同学们要特别注意试题（包括选项）与原文之间的适当变换。根据近几年的考题情况来看，现在很少有直接用原文中的句子进行考查和测试的，而通常要进行一定的处理。而这种“处理”主要就是指进行语义转换，其中包括同义变换、概念解析、归纳事实等。比如第21题，选项D中recognizable buildings and places与原文landmarks是同义转换。

考点：考查文化类阅读理解