Question

Informal conversation is an important part of any business relationship. 1.Latin Americans enjoy sharing information about their local history, art, and customs. They expect questions about their family and are sure to show pictures of their children. The French think of conversation as an art form. 2.For them, arguments can be interesting---and they can cover pretty much or any topic---as long as they occur in a respectful and intelligent manner.

In the United States, business people like to discuss a wide range of topics, including opinions about work, family, hobbies, and politics. 3.They do not share much about their thoughts, feelings, or emotions because they feel that doing so might take away from the harmonious business relationship they’re trying to build. Middle Easterners are also private about their personal lives and family matters. It is considered rude, for example, to ask a businessman from Saudi Arabia about his wife or children.

4.This can get you into trouble, even in the United States, where people hold different views. Sports is typically a friendly subject in most parts of the world, although be careful not to criticize a national sport.5.

A.Instead, be friendly and praise your host’s team.

B.You may feel free to ask your Latin American friends similar questions.

C.Before you start a discussion, however, make sure you understand which topics are suitable in a particular culture.

D.In Japan, China, and Korea, however, people are much more private.

E.In addition, discussing one’s salary is usually considered unsuitable.

F.They enjoy the value of lively discussions as well as disagreements.

G.As a general rule, it’s best not to talk about politics or religion with your business friends.

Answer

1.C

2.F

3.D

4.G

5.A

【解析】非正式谈话是任何商业联系中的一个重要组成部分，谈话时不要无所顾忌，一定要选取合适的话题。文章列举了几个国家谈话的习惯。

1.C

考查对上下文的理解和推理判断能力。上句讲非正式谈话是任何商业联系中的一个重要组成部分，C项：在谈话前要先确定在特殊的文化背景下，哪种话题最合适。是上句的具体注意事项，故选C.

2.F

考查对上下文的理解和推理判断能力。此处讲法国人认为谈话是一种艺术形式，F项：他们享受着热烈的讨论以及不同意见的价值，与下句For them, arguments can be interesting---and they can cover pretty much or any topic内容一致，故选F.

3.D

考查对上下文的理解和推理判断能力。根据下句的They do not share much about their thoughts, feelings, or emotions可知与D项中的much more private.意思一致，指人们更注意隐私，分享内容很少。故选D.

4.G

考查对上下文的理解和推理判断能力。根据下句的This can get you into trouble, even in the United States, where people hold different views.可知是指不同的政治或宗教观点会惹麻烦，最好不要谈论。故选G.

5.A

考查对上下文的理解和推理判断能力。此处指运动是一个有代表性友好的话题，但最好不要批评民族体育。A选：相反要友好地表扬谈话对方的队，与上句呼应。故选A.

【名师点睛】

关于七选五的做题步骤：

1.通读全文，对文章进行快速浏览，寻找主题句，抓住文章结构及文章的写作内容。在阅读过程中，要注意文章的开始与结束段落，尤其是文章的首段及末段末句，首段的末句一般是是全文的主题所在，说明本文将探讨哪些内容，并简要指出文章的写作思路，有时甚至会以提纲的形式进行呈现。

2.详读段落，在短时间内，找出每段写作内容的关键词。明确各段的主题句或主旨大意。文章正文部分通常分为若干小段落。各段落会根据整体文章写作主题展开，对文章主体进行的不同方面的描述。找出各个小段落中的关键词，明确其描述内容，为整体试题的解决做好铺垫。阅读各个空的前后句，标记关键词，关键词包括句中的核心名词或名词词组（如带有形容词的名词词组）、专有名词、时间数字、代词、连词等。重点阅读各个问题附近的句子，圈定线索词，然后从选项中寻找相关的特征词，以确定答案。如小题2此处讲法国人认为谈话是一种艺术形式，F项：他们享受着热烈的讨论以及不同意见的价值，与下句For them, arguments can be interesting---and they can cover pretty much or any topic内容一致，故选F.小题3根据下句的They do not share much about their thoughts, feelings, or emotions可知与D项中的much more private.意思一致，指人们更注意隐私，分享内容很少。故选D.

3、定位选项，明确各备选选项的含义，抓住其关键词语，根据文章整体结构与具体内容，将选项填入文中，填写时尤为注意各选项中出现的句子衔接手段及句中的衔接标志词。在定位选项时，要特别注意空格上下段的写作内容，以及空格上段尾句和下段首句的结构和意义。将所选项放入空白处，看看是否与上下文构成语义及逻辑上的直接关系，是否符合该处语境。能否承接前后的写作线索。使文章无论内容还是衔接上都能做到通顺。小题4根据下句的This can get you into trouble, even in the United States, where people hold different views.可知是指不同的政治或宗教观点会惹麻烦，最好不要谈论。故选G.

4、通读复检，将所选答案代入文中，再次通读全文，重点考查逻辑关系和关联结构。

在完成选项定位后，应通读全文，检查文章内容是否完整，语义是否连贯合理、各段落内容是否紧扣主题，语篇结构是否通顺连贯、具有一致性、合乎逻辑，写作思路是否清晰明了，格式以及用语是否恰当贴切，从而判断选择的答案是否正确。同时，我们还应注意对相近选项的对比分析，个别干扰项由于与某个正确选项的内容相近具有很强的干扰性，这时就需要我们认真分析，排除干扰，从而得出正确选项。