After decades of distrust, China and America are finally seeking friendship. But after teaching in Xiamen University’s MBA cente

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问题     After decades of distrust, China and America are finally seeking friendship. But after teaching in Xiamen University’s MBA center for over five years, I’ve come to realize that even if political and economic barriers are overcome, a major hurdle remains—culture!
    On occasion I have felt that some Chinese were rude or inconsiderate. Unfortunately, some Chinese have thought even worse of me. But most of the discord arises not from intent but from ignorance of cultural differences.
    America’s individualist culture springs from a 2 000 year tradition of Roman and Greek arts, philosophy and government, as well as the moral and legal traditions of Christianity. By contrast, China’s culture, including its arts, philosophy, and government is rooted in the Confucian ethic, Taoism, Buddhism, and more recently, Chinese Socialism.
    Two weeks after I arrived in China, I told a cashier "Thank you. " She replied, "Don’t use thanks. " Taken aback, I asked "Why shouldn’t I use thanks?" She looked at me as if I were from another planet and I beat a hasty retreat.
    I reasoned that since China is socialist, maybe polite phrases denote feudalist class distinctions and are best avoided! But a leopard can’t change its spots and an American can’t easily stop saying "thank you" for everything. A week later a shop assistant told me "Don’t use thanks. " I asked "Why not?" and she replied, "Don’t be polite. " I thought, "Well, this is too much! We can’t use any polite speech at all?"
    To my dismay, I eventually learned that "Don’t use thanks" had the exact same meaning and usage as the English "Don’t mention it". I had translated words instead of intent.
    My mistake was merely an embarrassment, but similar blunders(错误)by business and political leaders have destroyed potential business negotiations or diplomatic relationships.
Questions:
Which of the following sentences is true according to the passage?

选项 A、The author was startled after he received the cashier’s answer "Don’t use thanks. "
B、The cashier was very surprised because the author was from another planet.
C、The author hit the cashier because the cashier looked at him impolitely.
D、The cashier didn’t want to listen to the author’s insincere appreciation.

答案A

解析 第4题问下面哪个句子符合原文内容。先浏览一下四个选项,我们发现它们都与cashier有关。因此利用查阅式阅读法很快就在文章第四段中找到了相关信息。这一段指出,作者到达中国两周后,有一次他对收款员说“谢谢你”。收款员回答说:“不用谢。”作者大吃一惊,问“为什么不应该用谢谢呢?”收款员看着作者像看一个外星人似的,作者赶快走掉了。从这里我们可以推断出本题的正确答案应是A:当他听到收款员回答“不用谢”时大吃一惊。
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